Untitled Lost Girl Project
by rightersblock
Summary: AU, all human. Story of how Bo and Lauren meet and get together. Rating for language and possible future content. This summary is the best. I'm jealous that you get to read it. I'm amazing. Go me. The only thing better than this summary is that kick ass title. Wow. I rock.
1. Chapter 1

All human AU. My all human version of the Bo and Lauren relationship. Characters from the show will make an appearance, but they may connect differently than in the show. POV will likely shift between Lauren and Bo.

I don't own Lost Girl. I know that shocks you.

* * *

Doctor Lauren Lewis was having a shit day.

Maybe that wasn't a fair way to phrase it. She was having a long day. A hard day. An irritating day. The kind of day that made you want to throw your laptop against a wall and shout obscenities at the next person that interrupted you.

No, actually, shit day was accurate.

She sighed exasperatedly as she dug through her desk drawer. Seriously, she had been at this job for two weeks and already her office was in shambles. Well, really, it just hadn't been organized in the first place – her flight in two weeks prior had been majorly delayed, meaning her first day of work had started almost as soon as she landed. She'd hastily thrown things in her office and hit the ground running, so to speak, and it hadn't really let up since. Her boxes were late arriving, and had actually just made it to her about three days ago, so she wasn't even remotely close to unpacked, She was wearing unfamiliar clothes because, of course, when all of her earthly possessions were held up in transit, her wardrobe was with them, and she'd had to just go buy something, anything, that would make her look vaguely professional at work. Her wifi hadn't been connected yet, because of course mild competence was too much to ask of anyone…overall, things since moving had not been going her way.

Despite all of that, she had woken up this morning with a renewed sense of purpose. Today was going to be different, she told herself. Today was going to be better. Her schedule was light today, the lightest day so far, and she was actually looking forward to organizing her office, tying up some loose ends, tucking into reports and charts and other administrative items that needed her attention. Today was the day she was going to get her life in order.

She started her day at Starbucks, since, of course, she hadn't unpacked her coffeepot yet, only to arrive and find that some acne ridden teenager they'd hired had overloaded a breaker and fried their power. They wouldn't be able to make coffee for at least another hour.

Alright, that's fine, she could be flexible. She went to the cafeteria in the hospital and ordered a coffee from the surly cashier, trying to keep her tone light and bright.

"It's not ready." Said flatly, annoyed.

Lauren steadied herself before she answered. "Okay. How soon will it be ready?"

The girl looked at her, her gaze irritated and condescending. "You want me to make it?"

Lauren looked at her watch. 7:42am. "Um, it's not even 8 yet. You weren't going to make more?"

With a loud sigh, the girl turned around and made a display of banging the coffee grounds basket, the bag of filters, the sack of coffee grounds. "Seven minutes," she grumbled.

Lauren waited, trying to be patient. Finally, about ten minutes later, the coffee was ready. The girl poured her a cup, put the lid on, and gave her a fake smile as she gave Lauren her total. She edged the tip cup closer to her when she handed Lauren her change, which infuriated the doctor further. She grabbed two dollars out of her pocket and dropped them on the counter. Ignoring the tip cup, she turned away and took a sip, scalding her tongue and making her jump, which made the poor secured lid dislodge and the hot coffee to cascade down her shirt. She heard the girl snicker behind her. She didn't bother to turn back.

One quick trip home to change later and Lauren was officially late, dropping her leather bag beside her desk chair at 8:54 am. Her phone was blinking with unheard voicemails, and as she logged into her laptop, she let them play out loud.

She was halfway through the third message when her pager went off. A patient had taken a turn, a 23 year old stabbing victim. Grabbing her lab coat, she dashed out into the hospital.

Six hours later and Lauren was finally back in her office. Her patient was stable, at least for now, and she had been drafted into consulting on about seven others. Her head was throbbing from a mix of no caffeine and no food. With a sigh, she dropped back into her chair and was about to start working when she decided to go get something to eat first. Maybe a Coke or coffee, too, to take the edge off. She grabbed her purse and looked inside, checking to make sure she had her phone. That was when she realized her wallet was safely on the dresser in her bedroom, where she had left it last night.

And now, Lauren was rooting through her desk, desperately trying to find a charger for her computer, because the power light in the corner was blinking angrily, announcing that it too had had a shit day and was about to shut down. Finally, she spotted it, tangled in the back. She grabbed it, banging her thumb in the process, but managed to retrieve it. She had plugged one end into the wall and was about to connect it to her computer when the screen went black.

"Yeah, that seems about right," she said to herself with a deep sigh.

* * *

By 5, Lauren finally started to feel like she had made some headway. Not nearly as much as she was hoping, of course, but still, some. That was when her cell phone rang.

"Dr. Lewis," she answered, not bothering to check the ID.

"You've been in town for a month and haven't bothered to even call me. I'm hurt. I'm wounded. I'm deeply offended," the cockney accented voice said without preamble.

Lauren smiled in spite of herself. "Hello, Vex."

"No, no, don't you do that! Don't you use that sweet Lauren-y voice and expect me just to melt! You've been ignoring me and you know that plays into my deep emotional abandonment issues from when my parents left me alone in the woods for weeks at a time!"

"They didn't leave you, Vex, they took you to summer camp."

" _In the woods_ , Lauren. _In the woods!_ "

"In cabins. With a lake."

"The _woods_."

"And what do you mean weeks at a time? Didn't you get kicked out almost immediately?"

"See? Even that hellish 'camp' abandoned me. All the more reason for you to _call me_."

Lauren laughed. "I've been in town for two weeks, not a month. I've just been insanely busy."

"A likely story. Alright then, love, you're coming out with me tonight."

"What? Tonight? No, Vex, I can't, my stuff isn't unpacked and –"

"Abandonment! Abandonment!"

"You can't just shout 'abandonment,' Vex, that's not a thing."

"You can't? Fascinating. Tell me more about that tonight."

"Vex –"

"Pick you up in an hour, love!"

" _Vex!_ "

"Ta." And with that, the line was dead.

* * *

At 6:15 Lauren's desk phone buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Um, Dr. Lewis, there's a…man? Down here to see you."

" _I'm her boyfriend, darling, don't be shy, now. Christ, is that a cartoon rabbit on your shirt? Why would an adult wear that?_ " Lauren rolled her eyes as she heard Vex antagonizing the front desk.

"He, um…he says he's your boyfriend?"

"I'll be down in a minute, thanks."

" _I know what you're thinking, why would someone as dashing as me be with a lowly doctor, but let me tell you the sex is downright Olympic –_ " Lauren hung up the phone before finishing hearing what Vex was telling the desk. Probably better that she didn't know.

A few minutes later, Lauren arrived at the front of the hospital where she saw Vex, clad in leather and eyeliner. "Darling!" he said, loudly, as she approached.

She couldn't help smiling, despite the embarrassment. Lauren had known Vex for years, practically her entire life, and despite his flamboyant ways, she had always loved him.

He didn't hide his gaze as he examined what she was wearing. "Well the first order of business is getting you something new to wear, this simply won't do."

"I'm not changing, Vex."

"No? Alright then, we can work with this. You're gorgeous, as always, anyway. A few drinks should do the trick." He turned his attention to the seemingly still confused girl at the desk. "You however – something lower cut, darling, let those girls breathe."

"Um…thanks?" The girl said, clearly unsure what do.

"Please stop antagonizing my co-workers, Vex." She smiled warmly at the girl. "I apologize for my…for…well, for Vex."

"Oh – that's alright, Dr. Lewis."

"Such a lovely voice," Vex said. "Darling, have you ever done any singing? I know this BDSM club with the best band –"

"Come on, Vex," Lauren said, dragging him out the door.

"Ciao, darling!" Vex shouted over his shoulder.

Once they were outside, Lauren turned to Vex. "Was that necessary? I do have to work here, you know."

"Oh, sweetheart, lighten up. Anyway, you look _gorgeous_ as always, give Vexy a little love," and he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled. "It's good to see you, Vex." And it was, she realized. Despite his inappropriateness, seeing him felt like going home; it felt warm and comforting.

He linked his arm with hers. "Alright, now, off we go. I'm taking you to a bar."

She laughed. "What kind of bar?"

"I'll have you know that I frequent respectable locales."

"Right. Is this going to be one of them?"

He laughed at her comment, loudly. That was something else she'd always loved about him – he was never afraid to show his appreciativeness for a joke or a jab, even if it was at his expense. "Oh, Lo, how I've missed you."

* * *

The Dal Riata was a hole in the wall type of bar in a two story building in downtown. When Lauren and Vex entered she noted that it was about half full, and seemed calm by her standards, downright dead by Vex's.

"Darling, welcome to Shangri-La," he said as swept in.

"Really? This is the bar?"

He laughed. "This is _my_ bar. I'm an investor."

A word like 'investor' coming from someone like Vex feel strange. Vex had been raised with money, too much money, really. He never had to work, and he had never chosen to. 'Investor', even in a bar, seemed too adult for someone like Vex.

Vex and Lauren had known each other as children, when they went to boarding school together. Although their personalities seemed like an unlikely fit, they had always been close. It may have had something to do with their sexual orientations, but they were friends long before either of them had that figured out, so who knows.

They approached the bar where a tall man was cleaning glasses. "Dyson, I'll have something straight in a shot glass and this gorgeous creature will have –"

"Beer, thanks," Lauren said.

The man smiled. "Ah, the famous Lauren," he said.

Lauren looked at him, confused. "Pardon?"

"Vex has been talking about you. I'm Dyson, by the way," he said, extending his hand.

"Hi, Dyson," Lauren said, feeling awkward. Vex was ignoring them, looking around the room.

"Where's everyone else? I wanted to introduce Lauren around."

"Kenzi is here somewhere," Dyson answered. "Ciara is on her way, I think, she texted me earlier. Bo is working late, so I doubt we'll see here. I think Nate is coming by, Kenzi mentioned something about that, and –"

"What up, bitches," said a blond woman, walking up behind them.

"—Tasmin is here," Dyson finished.

"Darling!" Vex said to Tasmin. "This is Lauren, Lauren, this is Tasmin, when you stopped calling me I had to find another blond."

Lauren smiled, awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Lauren."

"Alright, enough intro, time for drinking," Vex said, sweeping by.

Within a couple of hours the "gang" had assembled, it seemed, and Lauren was quietly sitting, watching them, trying to keep everyone and their relationships sorted in her mind, which was growing increasingly difficult due to the alcohol and lack of food in Lauren's system.

First, there was Dyson, the tall bartender. He tended to be quieter than the others, but was friendly. He put her generally at ease. Next to him was Ciara, clearly his girlfriend based on the way they interacted. They had a sweet and easy chemistry that Lauren found endearing.

Tasmin was an intimidating presence. Smart, clearly, and sarcastic, dry and funny. Near her was Kenzi, a tiny bit of a girl with dramatically dark hair and strikingly bright eyes. Lauren's awkwardness felt most pronounced with these two women – it was clear they were very different personalities, and Lauren sense that her reserved nature wasn't drawing them to her. Lauren wanted to fix that, of course, but the truth was she'd had a shit day, she was tired, and the alcohol was buzzing around her brain, so she continued to just observe, feeling more awkward and trying to drink it away.

Nate arrived later, obviously Kenzi's boyfriend. Despite Kenzi's standoffishness, Nate seemed open and warm, and was friendly to Lauren immediately, for which Lauren was grateful.

The night wore on, and soon Lauren was drunk. There really wasn't another way around it. Vex had continued to bring drinks to her all night, and even though she knew what he was up to, she hadn't been out for a long time and felt good to let her mind relax. She knew she should be talking more, getting to know everyone, but the fact was she wasn't always the best in these situations. The patrons in the bar continued to filter out, and by ten it was just the seven of them.

And then the door to the bar flew open, and a man walked in.

He was tall, probably close to Dyson's height, with dark wavy hair and a beard. They all looked up when he came in, and Lauren felt as though she detected a reaction from the rest of the group. She continued to observe.

"Hey, Kevin," Dyson said, standing up and walking back behind the bar to retrieve some more beer.

"Is she here?" Kevin asked, abrasively.

Dyson gave a wry smile. "What, she won't answer your calls?"

The man sighed in frustration. "Look, I know she's upstairs, alright? I'm just going to go up and talk to her.

"Uh, no, you're not," Kenzi said. "That's _my_ apartment too, you know. And, anyway, Bo is working late."

"Like hell she is."

Kenzi rolled her eyes and went back to her drink. Nate stood up and walked over to the clearly agitated Kevin.

"Listen, man, she really is working late. Why don't you come sit down, have a beer, and just relax? I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Kevin looked at Nate like he was something that came in on his shoe, but silently walked over to the table and sat down.

"Oy, Kevin," Vex said. "Still chasing after Bo, then, are you?"

Kevin regarded Vex with disdain. "So this is what you all do all night, then? Sit and drink?" Kevin asked.

Tasmin rolled her eyes. "Lauren, this Kevin Rainer, Bo's..."

Kevin turned to Lauren. "I'm Bo's _boyfriend_ ," he said, with special emphasis, as if he were trying to remind everyone else at the table. "Who are you, anyway?"

Lauren studied the man for a moment. "Wow," she muttered, thinking her voice was quieter than it was.

"What?" Kevin asked, looking at her again.

Lauren was drunk. That's could be the explanation for what she said next. "You're total dick," she said, simply.

Kenzi's mouth dropped open. Tasmin was visibly trying to hold back a laugh. Vex was looking on with what could only be described as pride. Even Ciara was grinning.

Kevin, clearly pissed, surveyed the table, his eyes finally ending on Nate. "Tell Bo to call me," he said, and he stalked out of the bar.

The other six turned to Lauren, almost in unison.

"Oh, girl, I like you," Kenzi said with a laugh, pouring Lauren another beer.

* * *

Reviews are always appreciated if you are so inclined


	2. Chapter 2

Don't expect super fast uploads all the time, but sine I posted the first Lauren chapter I figured I'd post the first Bo. Rougher language, I know. Sorry about that.

Enjoy.

* * *

Bo Dennis was having a shit day.

Alright, fine, that wasn't entirely accurate, but she was in a shitty mood, so really that was the same thing, right?

The morning had started off fine, with Kenzi making coffee that didn't taste like burned jet fuel, but after that things had gone downhill and Bo felt her mood trending decidedly bitchward.

Where her desk had once been was now just a swirling vortex of files. Seriously, had it been a full moon over the weekend? She was drowning in reports, case photos, phone messages, and despite the mass there were still roughly 80,000 more documents she needed to request. Oh, and everything was marked urgent. Of course. Because apparently no one actually understood what that word fucking meant.

She took a deep breath and used both hands to gather her long brown hair into a loose, messy ponytail. Grabbing a legal pad and pen, she set in, making notes, lists of document requests, organizing photos.

All this, and her phone wouldn't stop ringing.

 _Hi, Miss Dennis, it's Katie…I really want to just drop the charges, he didn't meant to hit me, he loves me! You know how it is when you're in love, I just drive him crazy because he's so crazy about_ me _!_

 _Hey, Miss Dennis, do you really need me in Court on the 22_ _nd_ _? It's just that I didn't know I'd actually have to_ testify _… Well, I mean, I didn't_ really _see anything, and I also really don't want to come…_

 _Hello, is this Miss Dennis? Yes, I just wanted to let you know that the ME is on vacation next week, so if we could just move that case? Yeah, sorry we didn't call sooner, but you can just move it, right? That happens all the time, I'm sure._

 _Hey, Dennis, it's Sgt. Kranor. Yeah, we fired Pfc Lambent yesterday, so he won't be available for his upcoming cases, can you take care of that? No, we didn't bother to get a new forwarding address…_

It was getting ridiculous.

But despite all that, despite the shit-storm forming on her desk, despite the fact that she was staring dead into the eyes of weeks of late nights, months of motions dates, trials, sentencing hearings…despite all that, she was forcing herself to be in a good mood, because tonight she was going to leave at 6, even if it killed her, and tonight she was going to see her friends and she was going to drink and she was going to pretend that she hadn't spent her whole day looking at the worst the world had to offer.

And then she got the call about Greg.

Greg was a 23 year old kid, nice enough, and had things been different and he had been a classmate or something she could even imagine that they would have gotten along. But Greg grew up broke, with no dad a mom who was more interested in the next needle than her son. And Greg had learned young that you had to be tough to survive, so he got some tattoos and he did some cocaine and he acted tough, even though he wasn't, not really, not at his core.

By the time he was 21 he'd been in some minor legal trouble, nothing startling, nothing that raised much a flag on anyone's radar. And then his mother died, and Greg, the oldest, was left with his siblings. To his credit, he got himself together. He got clean. He got a job at a convenience store. He _tried_. And he was actually holding it together.

Four weeks ago, Greg had been stabbed. He was working the late shift at the store, just trying to get by, and some strung out dude had stumbled in with a knife, told him to open the register, and then stabbed him in the gut before leaving. Greg was found a short time later. He was passed out behind the counter. He'd hit the silent alarm when the guy showed the knife. It wasn't working, but he didn't know that. Some customer had come in, and noticed no one was there and thought it would be a good time to get free cigarettes. That's when customer saw him and called 911, saving his life.

Greg was touch and go for a while, but he pulled through, and while he was getting his strength back they caught the guy. He lawyered up immediately, so they were left with grainy surveillance footage and Greg, who got a pretty good look at him through the robbery.

The case had been charged. The defendant had been picked up. A lawyer entered on behalf of the defendant. The case been set for motions. And today Bo got a call that when one of her officers had gone to check up on Greg, he had skipped town.

Someone had gotten to him, scared him, threatened him, something. Bo knew it. And yeah, Greg was just a kid, easily written off, a former junkie, probably someone who would never set the world on fire, but he was _trying_. He'd come a long way. And Bo wanted some justice for him, for the kid who had gotten it together.

Cursing, she was on her office phone trying to find someone to track him down when her cell phone rang. 'Rainer' came across the screen, and she rolled her eyes. She didn't have the energy for him right now.

She'd been dating Kevin for years, off-again-on-again. For whatever reason, whenever they broke up they ended up back together. It wasn't a good relationship, but it was familiar. It was easy, even if it didn't make her happy. He always talked about them in terms of fate and destiny, and Bo never really felt any of it, but he was a warm body, and some nights after seeing what she saw that was what she needed.

Kenzi hate him. So did Tasmin. And Dyson. And…well, everyone, really.

She knew it hadn't escaped any of their notice that she never took their relationship to the next level. She never talked about a future with him, never talked about moving in with him.

Three weeks ago, Rainer proposed.

Their relationship wasn't in a good place, but Rainer tried to convince her it was because they'd been stuck in this rut of just dating forever, and it was time to grow up and move forward. Yeah, he knew her friends hated him. He didn't like them, either. But he liked _Bo_ , and wasn't that all that mattered?

Bo had listened to all this in open-mouthed shock. When he was done, he looked at her plaintively. "Please say _something_ ," he'd said.

"Rainer, are you…are you _kidding_ me right now?"

His face fell. "Bo, what are we doing? Do we have a future? Do you even want one?"

"Look, Rainer, it's just…I know things haven't been great, okay? I work a lot, and I'm stressed, and you don't get along with my friends, and it's stressful. I get that. But this…this isn't the answer for us."

He looked dejected, and despite the fact that she didn't love him – yeah, she didn't admit it much, because really what kind of cold hearted bitched stayed this long with a guy who loved her and who she didn't love back – but despite all of that, she wanted to comfort him.

"Listen, can we just start over? We don't need to be talking about marriage and forever right now. Let's just enjoy what we have. I'll make more of an effort, okay?"

He was hurt, and he couldn't hide it. She leaned in and kissed him, and he didn't respond, not at first. Slowly, he did, and she knew she was truly a bad person in that moment, but the truth was she was _tired_ , alright? She was exhausted. She just needed…something. A warm body. Someone to want _her_. He was comforting. He was there. So she let it happen.

Things hadn't been much better since then, and she knew that two weeks ago, when she had worked crazy late one night, he had gone by the Dal and talked to her friends. She knew this because Kenzi was excitedly talking about some friend of Vex's who called him a dick or something.

She hadn't told anyone about the proposal.

She knew Rainer was calling to see if she would meet him tonight so they could talk, or fuck, or fight, or maybe all three. She just didn't have it in her, honestly, she didn't.

Her phone lit up again, a text message from Tamsin.

 _You have been AWOL too long and we aren't going to take it anymore. Lauren needs help moving in the last of her stuff tonight, and you're coming. 7. I'll meet you and Kenzi at the bar._

Who the fuck was Lauren? And, really, her friends wanted her to spend a relaxing night helping someone move?

Her phone lit up again, another text. Rainer. _Call me_.

Fuck that. She texted Tamsin _see you tonight_ and dropped her phone into her purse, out of sight, out of mind.

* * *

As always, I welcome your thoughts


	3. Chapter 3

This one will give you a little more information on how everyone fits together in this story, but more detail will probably be added later.

Enjoy

* * *

Lauren poured herself a glass of wine and stood surveying her kitchen and living room. _Better_ , she thought. Things were starting to finally look better.

There were still things she needed to do, of course, and things could be organized better, but really, on the surface, everything looked finished. Her dishes were in the cabinets, her books were on the shelves, the pillows on her couch were arranged and neat. She drew a deep breath and took a long sip of her wine. Yes – it finally looked like someone lived here.

She was just thinking about ordering some cheap takeout, maybe watching a bad movie, ignoring calling Nadia which is what she should be doing, when she heard a knock at the door. She hesitated for a moment. She had already changed into sweatpants and tee shirt, because she wasn't planning on going anywhere or seeing anyone. Before she reached the door, a loud knock came again.

" _Oy, open up, Love!_ " Vex. Of course.

Lauren pulled open the door, and was surprised to find not only Vex but Dyson, Ciara, Tasmin, Kenzi, and Nate.

"Oh…um, hi, everyone?"

Tasmin gave her a quick once over and snapped her eyes to Vex. "You had no idea we were coming over, did you?" she asked, never looking at Lauren.

"Oh, uh, well, it's –"

" _Vex_ , seriously?" Dyson said.

"I mean I don't see the problem, honestly," Vex answered, sweeping into the house.

Lauren stood smiling to herself as he brushed past. "Hey, Vex, want to come in?" she asked as he plopped onto the couch. "No, please, make yourself at home, don't be shy."

"Lo, love, don't you get HBO? It's like bloody third world over here!"

Lauren couldn't help but laugh lightly and roll her eyes before turning back to the others who were still awkwardly standing outside. "Come in, please, sorry, please come in."

They all looked vaguely unsure but smiled and came in, with Nate bringing up the rear, carrying four pizzas. "We brought dinner, at least," he said, lightly with a warm smile.

"Plates in the third cabinet," Lauren answered as she closed the door behind them.

Kenzi stood, looking around the room. "So this is what it looks like when you need to unpack, huh?"

"What?" Lauren asked.

" _Vex_ , dude, seriously? You just invited us over here and didn't bother to tell her?" Kenzi said in frustration.

"Hey, I'll have you know that my darling Lauren is a sweet and accommodating person who adores my charm and good looks, as well as my cheeky antics, and it's perfectly fine with her that we are here. And speaking of accommodating, where's your liquor?"

Ciara turned to Lauren. "We really don't want to be a bother. Vex told us you needed help unpacking."

"It's fine, really, I'm glad you came. Vex, there's beer in the fridge."

"Can you get me one, darling? The shows about to start."

Lauren threw a pillow at Vex. "Get your own beer, asshole," she said with a laugh. As he jumped back from the pillow, she scooped the remote out of his hand and walked back over to the counter, dropping it beside the pizza, and then went to grab plates.

* * *

An hour later everyone was talking and laughing happily in Lauren's new house, full from pizza and alcohol, watching TV and milling around. Lauren started gathering plates and carried them to the sink, starting to wash them.

Ciara walked over to her. "Honestly, let me do that. It's bad enough that we crashed your evening."

Lauren smiled at her. "No, it's fine, really."

"At least let me dry?"

"Sure." Lauren turned on the taps and let the hot water rush over her hands, washing and passing dishes to Ciara in a comfortable silence.

"Your accent is lovely," Lauren commented.

"Oh, thank you, you're sweet," Ciara said with a slight blush. "I was raised near Oxford."

"Oh, really? How did you end up here?"

"I came over to go to University. I met Bo while I was there, we had some classes together. She introduced me to Dyson and, well," she looked back over her shoulder and her eyes lit up as she smiled at Dyson's back, "I just haven't quite made it back since."

"So are you a lawyer, too?" Lauren asked, recalling the only vague information she knew about Bo.

"No, I'm an elementary teacher. I met Bo during undergrad. She, Dyson, and Kenzi were living together. We got on quite well, she and I. And after I met Dyson and Kenzi…well, I guess the little group just started building out from there."

"So how do the rest of you all know each other?" Lauren had seen the others a few times since that first night at the Dal, but never had really gotten backstory on how everyone was connected.

"Bo and Kenzi grew up together. They met Dyson in elementary or middle school, I think. He moved from Scotland when he was seven. I met Bo at University, of course. Tasmin was originally a friend of Dyson's, so she joined us through him. Vex…I think Vex came with the bar." Lauren laughed. "And before they opened the bar, Kenzi and Dyson were going around, checking out other businesses, and Kenzi met Nate at one of them. They've been together for maybe almost a year now."

"Mmm," Lauren hummed, her attention on the last of the dishes.

"So, what about you? How did you meet Vex?" Ciara asked.

Lauren was about to answer when she looked up and out of the kitchen window, some movement catching her eye. Standing in front of her home, talking on a cell phone and pacing, was a stunningly beautiful brunette. She was tall, Lauren noticed, and slender. Her eyes were turned downward and she was speaking animatedly on the phone, but she didn't seem angry. She seemed…resigned. In her left hand she was holding a six pack of beer.

Lauren was stunned, speechless. Ciara, noticing Lauren hadn't answered her, glanced over and then followed Lauren's eyes out into the yard. "Oh, there's Bo," she said.

Snapping herself out of her daze, Lauren tried to tear her eyes away. "Oh, um, I didn't realize someone else was coming."

In the yard, the brunette ended her call, took a deep breath, and walked up to the house.

Vex threw open the door after two knocks. "Bo, darling, lovely of you to join us two hours late. Honestly, it really is true that manners are dead. Is that beer I see?" He had snagged one of the bottles before Bo had made it inside.

Bo smiled and rolled her eyes, "hello to you too, Vex. Hey, everyone."

Kenzi made a show of looking at her watch. "9:00. Right on time for our 7:00 meeting."

Bo walked over and kissed Kenzi's cheek, handing her a beer.

"Don't try to win me over with your beer, Missy." She looked at the bottle. "Is this what I think it is?"

Bo smiled, "you're favorite!"

"Sweet! I haven't had this one since…oh, no. No, no. No, no," Kenzi said, pushing the bottle back.

Bo kept smiling. "You look great today, by the way, are those new shoes?"

"NO! And yes, they are, I know I look fabulous, whatever, but more to the point, NO!"

"What's happening?" Lauren asked Ciara and Dyson, who had walked over.

"Well, based on the beer, I'm guessing –"

"He is _not_ coming over tonight!"

Ciara sighed. "Yeah. Kevin."

Bo set the beer on the counter and put her hands on Kenzi's shoulders. "Listen, Kenz, just relax. It's going to be fine. I swear. Just breathe. Breathe."

"Why, _why_ do you keep bringing him back into our lives?"

"What are you talking about, bringing him back, we didn't break up this time."

"But he hasn't been over in, like, _weeks_!"

Bo shrugged. "Well, I mean, doesn't that kind of answer the question of why he's coming over tonight?"

Kenzi sighed loudly, putting her hands up in front of her. "Okay, Bo, listen. I love you. Seriously. LOVE you. All about the Bobo," she said, waving her hand in a 'wax on' motion around Bo's face. "But you're reaching the point of an intervention here. It's been _two years_."

"Not actually two years…"

"TWO YEARS of fighting, breaking up, him calling, you taking him back, more fighting, him texting me to find you, you telling him to go away, you taking him back…TWO YEARS."

"Yeah, I'm going with Kenzi on this one, love, if I have to hear that man say you are his destiny one more time I may just vomit," Vex said from his position on the couch.

"He's a douche, dude," Tamsin added helpfully.

Bo sighed. "Anyone else want to weigh in?" She asked, rotating her head around the room. Her eyes landed on Lauren for the first time, and she froze.

"It can't be a big shock that we don't like him, Bo," Dyson said.

"I preferred Ryan," Ciara added.

"Well, that's a bit harsh, Ryan was a dick," Nate answered.

"So is Kevin," Kenzi replied.

Nate nodded, pointing to Kenzi. "True, babe. Well said."

Lauren, shaking herself out of Bo's stare, glanced around the room. "Uh, I've only met Kevin once, and I don't know who Ryan is…"

Bo sighed and looked up, gathering herself. When she brought her face back down and smiled at Lauren. "Hi. I'm Bo. I don't believe we've met. I'm the stranger with her personal life on display in your living room," Bo said, extending Lauren a hand.

Lauren's heart was racing, and she wasn't entirely sure why. She accepted Bo's hand and felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her. God, this woman was beautiful. She hadn't been this struck by a stranger since…she shook herself out of her daze. "Hi, Bo, I'm Lauren."

"Seriously, I don't want that loser in my home," Kenzi said, breaking the moment.

Bo glanced at Kenzi briefly and returned her eyes to Lauren. "Care to weigh in?"

"You can do better," Lauren said without thinking. Her heart sped up. She shouldn't have said that.

" _YES._ _Thank_ you, doctor! Bo, she's a doctor so she's super smart and stuff. BUH-BYE, Kevin."

The others in the room continued their back and forth, but Lauren wasn't listening. Her mind was reeling, and her eyes were stuck on Bo.

 _Boyfriend_ , she told herself. _BOYfriend._

 _And also, you aren't exactly single…_

She took a deep, steadying breath, and tried to tune back into the conversation.

* * *

The party started to break up around 11:00. Lauren was exhausted, but in a good way. If she was being honest, she had been irritated when Vex had shown up at the door, but truthfully she was kind of grateful to him now. It was nice to have friends, and after tonight, she really felt like she did.

She shoved the last of the pizza into the fridge and headed up to her bedroom. On her night table, she saw her cell phone, sitting on the charger where she'd left it when she changed her clothes. She pressed the home button and watched the screen illuminate.

Four missed texts, one call, one voicemail.

 _Give me a call when you can._

 _Hey, are you alright?_

 _I'm getting ready to go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow._

 _Hope you're okay._

All from Nadia. Missed call, timestamped five minutes before the first text – Nadia. Voicemail – Nadia, a quick message saying she was sorry she missed her and Lauren could just call when she was free.

Nadia, Nadia, Nadia. And still, Lauren went to bed thinking about Bo.

* * *

Review if you are so inclined


	4. Chapter 4

You all are getting spoiled with these fast uploads. I can't promise they'll continue. But, for now, enjoy.

Still fleshing everyone out, but I hope you all like it anyway.

Happy reading

* * *

 _You can do better_. Bo hadn't been able to get Lauren's voice out of her head since they had all left. Once back, Bo had texted Rainer and tried to get out of meeting up, but it was quickly apparent that it was just going to lead to a fight, so she texted him to meet her at the bar, instead of her and Kenzi's apartment. At least that would appease Kenzi slightly.

 _You can do better._

Bo rubbed a hand across her forehead as if that would dislodge the memory.

Lauren was stunning – there really wasn't any other way around it. I mean, on seeing her, the first thought that shot through Bo's head was _wow, you're really hot, have you ever kissed a girl?_ which was inappropriate in oh so many ways.

More than just thinking she was gorgeous, though, Bo had gotten a good feeling from Lauren. It was something…intangible. Ineffable. Meeting her had felt somehow important, significant, like this was someone that Bo was simply _supposed_ to know.

And Lauren was kind. Yes, Bo had known her for roughly one hundred and twenty minutes, but still, she could tell. Bo had an instinct for these sorts of things, it was part of her job to tell quickly who was real and who was a con. It was the way she looked directly at people when she spoke to them, Bo decided. She made sure you knew that she was interested in talking to _you_. That she was listening to _you_. It was a sign of respect for the person across from her.

Or maybe it was the way she moved her hands. Weirdly, Bo had noticed that too. She definitely had a doctor's hands – quick, precise movements, no wasted or unnecessary motion. And when she talked to people, she rarely touched them, but on the few times that she did her touch was always purposeful, direct, meaningful. She touched lightly, gently, comfortingly.

It could have been the volume of her voice. Lauren had a way of speaking that was never overly loud or soft – always the right volume to hear, never more than it needed to be.

She was clearly brilliant – a doctor, obviously, but with a calm and clear command of seemingly any subject that came up. And yet, despite that, she was never condescending or belittling. If she said something that someone didn't understand, she had a way of explaining what she meant while seeming somehow self-depreciating, as if _she_ were odd for knowing it, and you were the normal one. She set other people at ease.

She was unique, seemingly without guile, but not gullible, not a pushover. Strong. Bo remembered the way she had moved around the house, straightening absentmindedly without seeming to even notice it herself, certainly not drawing the attention of others to it. So, she was organized, then. Orderly. Together. Controlled.

Maybe Bo was thinking about this too much.

What would it take to break that control?

Yeah, she was definitely thinking about this too much.

Bo sighed and ordered a drink from Karl, a bartender they had hired a few months ago, and grabbed a booth near the back while Kenzi went upstairs to their apartment. Bo sat and nursed her drink while she waited for Rainer.

Rainer strolled in a few minutes later, looking around the bar until his eyes hit Bo. When they did, he smiled in a sad way, in a way that didn't reach his eyes, and Bo felt herself deflate for a second, just a little bit.

"Hey," she said as he slid in across from her.

"Hey back."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"You've been avoiding my calls." He said it as a statement, not a question, but there was no anger in his voice.

"I've been busy," Bo deflected.

She short burst of a laugh broke from him, his eyes on the table. "What are we doing, Bo?"

She sighed. "Rainer, you know me. You've _known_ me, for years. I'm not good at relationships, I never have been."

He nodded, wordlessly, still not looking up.

She touched his hand, and he looked up into her eyes. "I am trying."

"I want to believe you, Bo. I really do. But it's more than that. It's more than you just being independent or whatever. I've been trying to see you, to talk to you, for weeks, and always there's some reason why you can't, or you're busy, or you have work or a new big case, and I get that, I get that life is messy, but dammit, Bo…" he shook his head, dropping his eyes again.

Bo sat, not saying anything.

"I love you, Bo."

"Rainer…"

He smiled and put his hand up. "Don't, okay?" He dropped his hands into his lap. "You're my destiny. You're my future. I know that. I _know_ it. But you just…I want to live with you, Bo. I want to marry you. I don't want to have to call and set up times to see you, I want to just come home and see you. Everyday."

"I'm not that girl, Rainer."

"No. You're…Bo. You're tough. You don't need anyone. But, see, I need _you_. That's the problem." He shook his head and smiled. "You know, I think you could stare down Hades himself and reduce him to a shimmering mist. But I can't, Bo. Not alone. Not without you."

Bo leaned back in the booth, not knowing what she should say. Horribly, the first thing she thought about was how different Rainer seemed than Lauren. She forced herself to stop – this wasn't the time for that.

He blew out a breath, composing himself. "Alright, that got heavy," he said with a smile. "Okay, how about this. We start over. You and me. I'll be less intense. You can try to be more…you can keep trying. I'll even try to make things right with your friends. Let's give this a real shot, okay? Be together. Try."

Bo looked at him quietly for another moment, her brain at war with itself. _No_ , her mind told her. _You've been down this road. We've done this before, and it never works._ And simultaneously her brain echoed _maybe this time we could make it work. One more try. Once more, just to give it a fighting chance. Just try._

"A real shot," Bo echoed.

* * *

They sat drinking for a while longer, and by 12:30 Rainer had left to go home. They hadn't discussed him coming upstairs, which was probably for the best. When she walked in the living room, Kenzi was still awake and sitting on the couch, playing video games. When Bo walked in she looked up and her face visibly relaxed when she saw Bo was alone.

"Clear skies?" she asked as Bo flopped down beside her.

"Har, har, har," Bo fake laughed. "And no. Still Rainer."

Kenzi dropped the controller, pausing her game. "Can I just ask why? 'Cause I really don't get it."

Bo sighed. "He's just…Rainer, Kenz. I don't know, I can't explain it either."

Kenzi picked the controller back up, resuming her game. "You don't love him."

"Maybe I could."

"It's been two years, Bo, I think if it was going to happen it would have by now."

"Not everyone is Dyson and Ciara, or you and Nate."

"Lauren's cute."

"That was a hell of a non-sequitur."

Kenzi shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. It's been a while since you gave the girls a shot. And we all already like her."

"I haven't been dating girls because girls are too emotional. I don't have time for that."

"Oh, and Mr. 'You're my Destiny' Rainer isn't emotional? Plus, Lauren doesn't seem like that. And, to hit rewind for a second, I thought the reason you hadn't been dating girls was because of _Rainer_."

"Well, yeah, that too…"

"No, not 'that too.' You're biding your time with Rainer because you don't want to be alone for some reason, even though you seem more alone when you're with him then when you're actually alone."

"He loves me, Kenz."

"Do you love him?"

Bo hesitated. "I should." She sighed. "And, anyway, I don't see what Lauren has to do with this. For all we know she's all about the dudes."

Kenzi shrugged. "Yeah. Maybe. But I don't think so. I have a sense about these things."

Bo shook her head. "Alright, Miss Cleo, thank you for the free reading, but I am going to bed."

Kenzi gave her vague waive and goodnight, already sucked back into her game.

Bo went to her bedroom, changed, washed her face, and settled into bed, all the while trying to remind herself that she was supposed to be thinking about Rainer, not about Lauren, not about the way her shoulder curved into her neck, not about the way her house smelled like clean cotton sheets, not about the way Bo's heart beat faster when she smiled.

Yeah, okay, so Bo was never going to love Rainer. She knew that. She wasn't crazy. But the fact was that Rainer loved _her_ , and it was nice to just have that kind of person in her life. Sure, she had friends, but the truth was she was closest to Dyson and Kenzi, and they had Ciara and Nate, and well, that gave them less time for her. That wasn't a bad thing – really, it was how it should be. Since Dyson had started dating Ciara he seemed…lighter. He smiled faster. He made more jokes. Bo could tell when Ciara was calling, because Dyson would unconsciously light up. What made it even better, one look at Ciara showed that she felt the same way.

And Kenzi – Kenzi had always been guarded. Not with Bo, really, they had been through so much shit together, but with the world. Kenzi had tried to make herself untouchable. When she met Nate, she initially had pushed him away, acting annoyed by him. But Nate had laughed off her hardness, her guardedness, and in the weirdest way just called her out on her bullshit.

Bo remembered the Saturday afternoon when she and Kenzi were just hanging out, watching something stupid, and Nate had just shown up at the door, talking about something, Bo didn't remember what exactly. Kenzi had tried to act bothered, tried to act like she wanted to kick Nate out of the apartment. What Bo really remembered is how Nate looked up with that 1000 watt grin and said "stop lying, you know you're glad I'm here," and kissed Kenzi on the cheek, immediately going back to what he was talking about.

Bo had never seen Kenzi look so stunned. But after that, Nate was just there, and Kenzi never seemed to really want to push him away again. She teased him, of course, but the tone was markedly different. Kenzi was hooked. It made Bo happy.

The truth was Bo was used to having romantic partners. Ever since she was young, she never had a problem find a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or a friend with benefits, or whatever else. When she got to law school and her time was increasingly occupied, she found it harder and harder to make time for the 'relationship' part, but still, she wasn't lonely often.

After graduation and the hell of taking the bar exam she'd started working, and since that time her ability to have a 'relationship' was practically at zero. Around that time she was dating Ryan, a trust fund kid with a mischievous nature. He'd been fun, honestly, and he hadn't expected Bo to be a 'relationship' girl, and Bo was attracted to him so it worked well. He was attracted to Bo, too. And to almost everyone else he saw. They had broken up, but he still came around from time to time, just enough to remind her and her friends that he was kind of an ass. Bo wouldn't admit it to her friends, but some part of her still liked him, not as a boyfriend, but as a person. He was immature, yes, and slept around too much, but he could make Bo laugh. Not that that was enough, but still.

She'd gone out with girls for a while, but inevitably someone ended up hurt, usually the other girl. She was still reeling from a particularly nasty relationship when she first met Rainer. And he was…uncomplicated. He had just gotten out of something serious, he told her, and he just wanted to have some fun. No commitments. No feelings. Just fun.

Her friends told her that was a terrible idea. She didn't listen.

Three months in he started changing his mind. He liked Bo. He wanted to try the relationship thing again. Bo had said no, she wasn't interested in that, and couldn't they just keep going the way they were? And so he had agreed.

For a while.

About three more months went by before the topic came up again. This time they argued. Bo, because this isn't what they agreed to, and Kevin, because he wanted Bo to admit this was more, but ultimately he apologized and they resumed their casual dating.

For a while.

A month later they had a huge blowout and Bo dumped him. Rainer had been frantic. He loved Bo, he decided, and he needed to win her back. He started calling. Texting. Bo ignored him. He started calling Bo's friends, trying to get her to talk to him. Bo ignored him.

A few months later they ran into each other at a bar. He apologized, they started talking, and the next morning they woke up together unsure of what they were now. Bo asked if he could be casual. He said he could.

For a while.

When he announced for the third time that he wanted this to be real, they hadn't fought. Bo decided maybe he was right – maybe it was time for a real relationship again. She enjoyed Rainer. The sex was good. He could be funny. He was easy to talk to. They liked the same movies. So she decided to give this another shot, and things went well.

For a while.

A longer while than before, if she was being honest. They still fought, but it was relationship fighting. Normal fighting. Healthy, even. Bo started to believe she could do this – maybe this was it? She could do the relationship thing. They were in a good place.

For a while.

Rainer had first floated the idea of living together about six months ago. He did it casually, quietly, knowing it would probably throw her off. It did. They broke up, but got back together a week later when he apologized and said he knew it wasn't right for her. He asked her again about three months after that. This time she hadn't bothered to answer him. She started being busier at work. She started talking to him less. They argued more often. And then, three weeks ago, the proposal.

She hadn't told her friends what was going on with them. They knew she and Rainer were fighting, but they didn't know why. They just thought Rainer was a dick. They didn't know that he was the one trying to make things work. They didn't know that he wanted to move forward with Bo. They didn't know that Bo was being the dick. So they hated him.

Rainer didn't know that Bo hadn't told her friends the details of their issues. He assumed that her friends were trying to steer her away from him. So he hated them.

She knew this was a bad idea, okay? She got that. But what if by some miracle this time something flipped and she could make it work with him? She was attracted to him. She enjoyed him, when they were getting along. And, honestly, look at the shit she had put him through, and he was still willing to make this work. That had to be a sign of longevity, right?

So, resolved. She would do this. She would make this happen. Forget that Lauren had stopped her heart for a minute – not that it mattered, because there was no verification that Lauren was either interested or available. She could love Rainer, right? The infrastructure was already there. All she had to do fill it out, make it work. And she would.

For a while.

* * *

Feel free to review and let me know how you are feeling about how this is going


	5. Chapter 5

Keeping with the alternating POVs. This one is Lauren. Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren stretched her arms above her head and heard her back give a slight _pop_ in response. She glanced at the clock on her laptop – 5:14p. Moving her head from side to side to work out the kinks in her neck, she took a deep breath and set about shutting down the computer and packing up for the day.

It had been a busy day, but a productive one, and after arriving to begin work at 5 o'clock this morning, she was rewarding herself by actually leaving at a decent hour for once.

As she was gathering her things, her cell phone rang. Nadia's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, Nadia," she said, holding the phone awkwardly between her face and her shoulder as she gathered her things. This was the downside to improved technology – it was far too hard to balance a phone this way.

"Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, just packing up for the day, actually."

" _Really_?" came back Nadia's incredulous voice. "It's barely after 5."

Lauren laughed. "I know, I know. I have plans tonight, actually."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I actually made friends," Lauren said with a laugh.

She could hear the smile in Nadia's voice. "That's great. I was worried about you when you left. I'm happy you're putting yourself out there."

"Yeah, it's weird. I guess after you graduate you figure that your friends are just set or something. I actually didn't know how to go about making new ones."

"How did you?"

"Vex."

Nadia laughed. "Of _course_ , I should have guessed. How is Vex these days?"

"Same as ever. How his liver has survived may be the greatest mystery of modern science."

"We really should have him studied," Nadia agreed.

"So, what about you? What are you up to tonight?"

"I'm going out with some friends too, actually," Nadia said. "Some people I knew from undergrad are in town."

"John and Beth?"

"Yeah, and Carol, Stacey, and Frederick."

"Great, that should be fun. I know you don't get to see them as much as you'd like."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it."

The conversation was comfortable, easy, relaxed, just like most conversations with Nadia, but as she headed out of her office door, Lauren found herself running out of things to say.

As if on cue, Nadia said, "well, I don't want to hold you up. Have a good time tonight. Maybe I can get out to see you in the next few weeks?"

"Sounds great. You have a good night, too. Give Beth my love," Lauren said, referencing the friend from Nadia's group that she knew best.

"I will." Nadia hesitated for a second. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Lauren said, reflexively, coolly, like a habit. The two women bid their goodbyes and hung up.

* * *

Lauren immediately went home and started getting ready so she could meet up with the group at 7:30. After getting a quick shower, she began surveying her closet, trying to decide what to wear. She was looking forward to a relaxing night out, she told herself. She was new to the group and was still trying to make sure that she made a good impression. But she largely knew that was sheer bullshit.

 _You want to look nice for Bo_.

Okay, fine, so what if she did? She wasn't doing anything wrong. Bo was attractive, and Lauren was attracted to her. Trying to look nice in response was natural. It was part of human evolution.

 _Much like birds will be brightly colored to attract a mate. A MATE._

Alright, fine, who cared if Lauren wanted Bo to notice her a little? No one was getting hurt.

 _Nadia might not feel that way._

But Nadia was far, far away, so how hurt could she be, really? And it wasn't like Lauren was going out in a tube top and come-fuck-me heels. There was nothing wrong with wanting to look nice; it wasn't like it was all for Bo, anyway. It wasn't entirely a lie that she was still trying to make a good impression, and anyway, didn't most people want to look nice when they went out?

 _The first night you went out with Vex you didn't even bother to change after work_.

But that was a spur of the moment thing, so it was completely different. And, anyway, Bo wasn't available – she had that boyfriend, Kyle, Kurt, Rainy, Stormcloud, whatever his name was.

 _Seriously?_ SERIOUSLY?! _You're going to get petty and jealous over a woman you aren't even in the running for? Get a grip, Lewis._

But it wasn't petty jealously, was it? It was clear that Bo was too good for Rainer – and that wasn't just Lauren's opinion. Her friends clearly thought it, too. And she may have blurted it out that night that everyone came over, but the fact was she wasn't wrong – Bo could do better.

 _Better, huh? Maybe with a blond? A doctor?_

Okay, fine, FINE. Lauren took a deep breath and took in the evidence. Fact: Lauren was attracted to Bo. Fact: Lauren was getting dressed up tonight largely (but not _entirely_ ) because Bo would be there.

Fact: Bo had a boyfriend. Fact: Lauren had a girlfriend.

Fact: You can still be friends with someone you're attracted to. Eventually the friendship could win out and you get over the initial attraction. Fact: Bo was a part of the group Lauren was seeking to be a part of, therefore being friends with Bo was the most logical way to continue to build strong friendships with the others.

Fact: Lauren wasn't getting dressed up for the others.

 _Shut up_ , Lauren told herself. She sighed and continued looking through her closet, running through the facts in her head again.

Conclusion: Lauren was fucked.

* * *

Lauren was drunk. There really wasn't another way to spin it.

After lingering around the house getting ready for a while longer, Lauren had finally left and arrived at the bar about five minutes after the scheduled meeting time. She was immediately greeted by Ciara and Dyson, arriving at the same time. Kenzi, Vex, and Tamsin were already inside, with drinks in hand. Lauren had glanced around furtively, but seen no sign of Bo.

An hour in, and they were all talking, laughing, sharing greasy food, and quickly progressing towards inebriation.

Lauren was seated beside Kenzi, who was further up the inebriation path than Lauren, likely due to the fact that Kenzi weighed maybe 80 pounds soaking wet.

"Where's Nate tonight?" Lauren asked.

"He's got a gig, he'll be here later," Kenzi said. She smiled. "I love him."

Lauren laughed lightly. "I bet that that isn't something you share too often with people you don't know well," Lauren said. "You don't seem like the gushing romantic type."

"He's so pretty."

Lauren laughed again. "You guys seem good together."

"We _are_! Yes! You're so smart," Kenzi said, leaning on Lauren. "I knew I was right."

"Right about what?"

"Bo."

Lauren's heart sped up slightly. "What about Bo?"

"Rainer is such a _douche_!" Kenzi said. "She should be with someone else. And we _already like you_. It would be way better."

Lauren's head was spinning as she tried to keep up, the alcohol slowing down her thinking. "Kenzi, I doubt Bo would be interested in dating a woman –"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kenzi said, cutting her off. "Because they're _emotional_. Whatever. Bo doesn't know how to pick a good man. Or a good woman. But the women are better."

Wait – what?

"And you know what, I don't even care, you know? It's like she's all, whatever, and he's just, you know, but _you_! Let's get a shot," Kenzi slurred out, her attention quickly being diverted elsewhere. She pulled herself out of her seat, dragging Lauren to the bar with her.

Lauren's mind was reeling. Bo wasn't straight. Or, at least, not strictly straight. Lauren's heart was pounding in her ears.

Bo.

 _Shit._

* * *

Bo arrived a while later, at which time everyone had sailed passed buzzed.

"BOBO!" Kenzi shouted. "Come have a shot with me." Kenzi grabbed a chair and slung it into the space between her and Lauren, patting the seat loudly. At that moment, Lauren decided she was a huge fan of Kenzi.

Bo walked over and sat down. "Hello, Kenzi. How about we get you a water and something to eat?"

Kenzi put her hand on Bo's face. "You're so pretty. You're almost as pretty as Nate. Nate is pretty."

Bo smiled and looked over at Lauren. "Wow, she's trashed, huh?"

"I AM," Kenzi exclaimed before her attention was drawn away by something Tamsin was saying.

"With her body weight and the volume of alcohol she's had, most of it high proof, I would say that she is quite inebriated, yes. She'll be very dehydrated in the morning." Lauren was vaguely aware that her words were slurred.

Bo laughed, and Lauren's heart jumped again. "Doctor Lewis, are you drunk?"

"Indeed," Lauren said, warmed by Bo's smile.

Bo walked to the bar and ordered a drink for herself and a water for Kenzi. She returned to her seat, and after convincing Kenzi to drink it by telling her was a new cocktail the bartender had just invented, she turned her eyes back to Lauren, who was smiling at her.

"What?" Bo asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"You take care of people," Lauren said. "You're a protector."

Bo took a sip of her drink. "It's not that altruistic, really. I'll have to deal with her when she's hung over."

"It's more than that, though, isn't it?" Lauren was vaguely aware that she needed to shut up.

Bo laughed lightly. "Alright, I'm obviously way behind on the drinking."

"Yes, you are," Lauren said with a self-conscious laugh. "Sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"It's okay. You speak your mind. I respect that."

Lauren's heart fluttered. She really needed to hold it together. She took a sip of her drink. _Smart. More alcohol. That should help_ , she thought sarcastically.

"So, what have I missed?" Bo asked, and Lauren was silently counting this as a win because in crowd of Bo's friends, Bo was still talking to her.

"Nate has a gig and Kenzi thinks he's pretty."

"I caught that."

"Vex wants Tamsin to take a pole dancing class with him."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, that seems about right."

"We're going out for my birthday in two weeks, darlings!" Vex shouted from the other end of the table.

"Ah, is it that time of year again?" Dyson asked with a laugh.

"I think I'm still hung over from last year," Ciara added.

"Why would we do that?" Lauren asked with a confused look.

Bo glanced at her. "We do it every year for his birthday. Why?"

"No, I mean, I get that, I just mean why would we do it in two weeks?"

"Because that's when my birthday is, love, you're drunk," Vex said, slightly forcefully, shooting Lauren a look.

A smile broke out across Lauren's face. "Holy shit, they don't know, do they?"

"Know what?" Tamsin asked.

"Lo –" Vex warned.

"I can't believe you're still doing that!" Lauren said, laughing.

"Leave it, darling, _you're drunk!_ " Vex said again.

"Doing what again?" Bo asked Lauren.

Lauren took a sip of her drink, laughing. "His birthday is December 25. He tells everyone it's September 10 because he goes home every year for Christmas."

Slowly, everyone at the table turned their heads to Vex.

"Does he, now?" Dyson asked.

"He started it when we were kids. At first he did it because he wanted a birthday when school was in session. Then he kept doing it because he realized he could have two parties, one wherever he was living and one with his friends back home."

Kenzi looked at Vex. "You lying little –"

"Does he also tell you that his parents forget to call him every year, and then show you his phone as proof, to guilt you into buying him drinks?" Lauren asked, taking another drink.

"You son of a bitch," Tamsin said, looking at Vex.

"Alright, in my defense…I really like having two birthdays," Vex said.

"Does he also tell you about Dave, the man who broke his heart, and make you take him out every year in the Spring on the anniversary of the day they broke up?"

"What the hell, _Dave_ isn't real? We took you to a strip club!" Bo exclaimed.

"It did make me feel better," Vex offered.

"How often does he tell you his father called and they got in a bad fight, and poor his heart out over drinks that you buy for him to make him feel better?"

"Who's up for another round? This one's on Vexy!" Vex asked, jumping up from the table.

Lauren laughed to herself, taking another drink, and everyone turned to her as Vex walked away.

"You have much knowledge," Kenzi said.

Lauren shrugged. "Different town, same Vex," she said.

Vex returned a few minutes later with the drinks, and everyone turned their attention back to him. Bo, instead, turned to Lauren.

"I like you like this," Bo said with a laugh.

Lauren smiled. "He's never had a puppy, either."

"VEX, WHAT THE HELL?!" Bo exclaimed. Lauren just laughed.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

Bo's POV. Enjoy!

* * *

Bo was going to be late. Again.

Even she had to admit that it was getting ridiculous, but honestly there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd spent her afternoon in court arguing motions to suppress, and when she got back to her desk there was a stack of phone messages waiting. She grabbed the most urgent ones, made quick calls back, and at 6:30 she was finally headed for the door.

She still needed to get home, shower, and change – overall, it would probably be 7:30 at least before she was ready. And she was supposed to meet up with the group at 7. _Shit_.

Heading out the office doors, she grabbed her phone and sent a message to everyone in their group text.

Bo: _Running late. Meet you at the first bar?_

A minute later, the first reply:

Kenzi: _You're late. SHOCKER._

Dyson: _We're going to start thinking you don't love us, you know_

Vex: _Unacceptable. This is may be the only third fake twenty-ninth birthday I ever have._

Bo laughed at Vex's text and responded _oh, Vex, I doubt that it will be_.

Ciara: _I think we were starting at O'Connells?_

Tamsin: _I vote for Spike's. O'Connells is played out._

Vex: _What about Rapture?_

Dyson: _NOT RAPTURE._

Kenzi: _NO RAPTURE_

Nate: _I vote no on Rapture_

Tamsin: _Wasn't there just a syphilis outbreak with the Rapture bartenders?_

Ciara: _On that note, I also vote no to Rapture_

Vex: _Everyone is so uptight. Mulligans it is, then_

Bo was about to drop her phone into her bag when it buzzed again.

Lauren: _I'm also running late, I'll meet you there, too_

Bo's impulsive nature kicked in, and she immediately sent a message to Lauren.

 _Hey, what time are you thinking you'll be ready? We can split a cab._

Lauren texted back: _I have a couple more quick things to do, but I could probably be ready by 8-8:30?_

 _Sounds great, I'll come by._

* * *

Bo dressed hastily, feeling amped and jumpy. She mentally berated herself for feeling this way, but there was no point in denying the reason for it. In a short while, she would be sharing a cab with Lauren.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, even though she was alone in the room. This was ridiculous. She was acting like a teenager. Worse, maybe – she was acting like a middle schooler with a first crush. All they were doing was splitting a cab. It really wasn't anything to be excited about.

And, yes, she knew she was acknowledging she had a crush, even though it wasn't being admitted to anyone other than herself. But really, that was okay, right? I mean, Lauren was beautiful, and smart, and funny – a crush was natural. It didn't mean anything.

The truth was, crush or no crush, she liked being around Lauren. She was good company. While a romantic connection as never going to happen, that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy a solid friendship. Lauren was different than a lot of people Bo had known and been close to. Lauren was more – together. Yes, Bo was a lawyer, and yes, Bo was more or less stable, but the fact was she still spent most of her time in bars, her love life was still laughable, she still had a roommate… Not that any of these things were inherently bad – though the love life was less than ideal. But Lauren was just…she had it together. Bo admired that.

Finished getting dressed, Bo looked in the mirror and gave herself a mental pep talk. _Okay. You are going to have a good time tonight. You are going to enjoy this. You are going to get to know Lauren. You are going to focus on being_ friends _with Lauren. There is no future in this crush, so tonight you put it behind you and focus on what you can have with her. You are going to be a mature adult._

Resolved, Bo walked out the door, trying to ignore the fact that despite her new focus on friendship, she was giddy at the prospect of seeing Lauren.

* * *

Bo knocked on the door as the cab pulled away from the curb. 7:45 – Bo was early, probably for the first time her life. Lauren opened he door and Bo felt her heartrate tick up.

"Hey, Bo, come on in, sorry I'm not quite ready yet," Lauren said, stepping to the side so Bo could enter.

Bo unconsciously took a deep breath – clean cotton. Just like before. Bo smiled.

"No, problem, I'm early," she answered with a wave of her hand.

"Can I get you some wine? No point in putting off celebrating Vex, right?" Lauren asked, walking toward the kitchen. Bo was about to decline when she saw Lauren's glass of wine sitting on the counter.

"Sounds great." Lauren poured her a glass and she accepted it with a smile. "To fake Vex day!" she said, holding the glassy up in a fake toast motion.

Lauren laughed lightly. "I can't believe he's still doing that. It's like he never grew up."

"How long have you and Vex known each other?"

"Since we were kids. Our parents were friends and we used to take trips together. Then we were sent to the same boarding school for a while, until Vex got kicked out, and after that…I don't know, I've just really always known him, I guess."

"What was Vex like as a kid?" Bo asked, trying to picture it.

"Awkward. Nerdy."

Bo nearly choked. " _Really?_ "

Lauren smiled. "Yeah, he wasn't comfortable with himself. His parents didn't have a good marriage, so I think he always felt a little tense, you know? On edge." She took a sip of wine. "My parents were very similar, and we just sort of bonded over it. Then when he got older, and he realized he was gay, I think that made it even harder for him, you know?"

Bo nodded.

"He started acting out a lot more then. He had come out to me, but not to anyone else. Shortly after that he was kicked out of school. He came out to his parents when he was about 17, and from there he just turned more and more into the Vex you know. He got more comfortable with himself. He was always sort of mischievous, even when we were young. He really just became more of who he was always supposed to be."

"When did the fake birthdays start?"

Lauren laughed. "Vex was always smart. Like, crazy, crazy smart. He just always hid it well. And he was charming, even in his awkward days. So one year, right after school started, he just started telling kids his birthday was that weekend. He said he couldn't have a party for some reason, but a few kids got him cards and gifts, and from there he just kept doing it. He told his mom that he needed cupcakes for a bake sale or something, and we had a party in the classroom. I don't know why the teacher went along with it, but honestly I don't think she paid that much attention to it. I knew, but Vex was my friend and I thought it was funny, so I didn't say anything."

"So you were an accomplice?"

"Yes, madam prosecutor, I guess I was," Lauren said, lightly.

Bo laughed. "Hey, I have another question, what is 'Vex' short for, anyway?"

"Vincent."

"Seriously, what the hell, his name is _Vincent?_ "

"Vincent Edward Xavier. He goes by his initials."

"Kenzi was right, you do have much knowledge," Bo said. Bo sat down on the couch, Lauren sitting down across from her. "So where did you and Vex grow up?"

"London, actually, but I was born here. My dad got a job there when I was a few months old."

"Really? But you don't have an accent."

Lauren shrugged. "My parents weren't English, so the accent never stuck, I guess. Vex's dad and my dad worked for the same company."

"How did you end up here?"

"My parents divorced when I was 16, and when it was time to go to University, I was ready to be away from them both. I came over when I was 18 and just stayed. After University was Med School, then internship, then residency, then a job, and now, here I am. What about you? Are you from here originally?"

"Yeah, a couple hours from here, actually. Kenzi, Dyson, and I moved here together."

"So you three grew up together?"

"Kenzi and I were neighbors and we went to the same school. Dyson joined us when we were in middle school."

Lauren and Bo kept chatting for a while longer, and before long Lauren glanced up at the clock. "Shit, we're late."

"We were already late," Bo laughed. She looked at the clock, too. 8:45. "But, yeah, we're late. Have we really been talking for an hour?"

Lauren stood up from the couch. "Let me just finish getting ready really quickly and we can go."

Bo smiled as Lauren turned away, feeling proud of herself. Yes, the crush was still definitely alive and well, but their conversation had been safely "friendly," in Bo's opinion. This was progress.

Right?

* * *

The cab dropped them off at the bar and Bo and Lauren joined the group. Vex immediately approached.

"Happy birthday, Vincent!" Bo said loudly enough for everyone else to hear. Vex went slightly pale.

"Wait, did you just say his name was _Vincent?_ " Tamsin asked.

"Lauren, you right bitch," Vex said. "And I here I was going to forgive you for being late, on today of all days, my birthday, when my parents _didn't even call me_ –"

"Because it isn't your birthday," Lauren added, helpfully.

"Not the point! And, anyway, what do you lot have to say for yourselves, turning up so late? Bit of hanky panky on the way over, are you still –"

Lauren's expression darkened almost imperceptibly as she cut him off. "Vex…"

He put his hands up. "Alright, alright, no need to get feisty, love, just a friendly reminder that we all have our secrets," he said with a wink. "Who wants a drink? Vexy's buying!"

* * *

Following their drinks at Mulligans, the group proceeded to bar hop. Vex had rented a limo, so no one had to drive, and even though Bo and Lauren were behind everyone else, it didn't take them long to catch a buzz.

The more she drank, the more Bo found that she was spending the bulk of her time with Lauren, either by sitting beside her, talking to her, ordering drinks with her…and the more she drank, the less she cared. Bo liked being with Lauren. There was nothing wrong with that.

During one trip to the bar, the two women were laughing over something, though neither could have likely articulated what, when Vex walked up.

"Lo, darling, your phone is ringing," Vex said, handing the device to Lauren. "Nadia."

Lauren accepted the phone, and Bo pretended not to listen, though she eavesdropped the entire conversation, or at least Lauren's side of it.

"Hey, babe."

 _Babe?_

"Yeah, we're out for Vex's fake birthday…yeah…oh, that's okay. No, I understand. We'll find a time that works better. Okay…sorry, yeah, it's really loud…okay. Love you, too."

 _Love you too?_

Lauren ended the call and slid the phone into the pocket of her jeans, giving Bo an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Bo waived her hand. "No problem. Everything alright?" Bo tried to act nonchalant, even as her brain was screaming.

"Yeah, yeah," Lauren said, looking at the glass that had just been place in front of her. "It was just…my girlfriend."

"Oh. I didn't know you had a girlfriend," Bo said, still trying to sound casual.

"Yeah, she didn't move with me here, so…"

"How long have you guys been together?"

"About five years."

Bo's heart dropped to her feet. "Wow, five years, that's…wow."

"Yeah, we met during our internship. We worked at the same hospital until I moved."

Bo took a sip of her drink. So this woman had been dating Lauren for five years, and she was a doctor. She was probably gorgeous, too. _Shit_.

"That's great," Bo said, trying to sound genuine. "Is she going to move out here?"

Lauren cleared her throat. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe. I don't know."

Bo nodded. Whoever Nadia was, she couldn't be that brilliant. If she was, there was no way she would have let Lauren move away from her.

"Well, that's great," Bo said. _Where are you going with this, Bo?_ her brain asked. "I mean, for you to be together that long, and her to be okay with you moving so far away…you guys must be really solid together. That's great." _Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP_.

Lauren nodded. "Yeah, she's a great person." Lauren cleared her throat again. "So how are things with Rainer?"

Reality came back to Bo, and she mentally thanked Lauren. She had no right to be affected by the news that Lauren wasn't single; she wasn't single, either.

Bo shrugged. "He's, you know…Rainer."

Lauren smiled. "I still think you could do better."

Bo laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I think you've been talking to Kenzi too much."

Lauren gave another chuckle. "Okay, fair enough, I don't know him really. Why didn't he come tonight?"

Bo took another sip of her drink. "He had other plans."

Lauren nodded. "Well, listen, I don't really know him. But for what it's worth, if you think he's good enough, then so do I. I know everyone is hard on him, but if he makes you happy, I think that's great, too."

Bo smiled at her. "Thanks," she said.

When it came time to leave, the gang piled in the back of the limo still laughing and talking. Bo ended up wedged in a seat beside Lauren. Not that she was complaining.

The whole ride home Bo continued to make jokes and conversation with her friends, trying desperately to ignore the fact that she could smell Lauren's shampoo, that Lauren was warm on her side, that she could feel the vibrations on her skin when Lauren moved and laughed. When Lauren was dropped off at her house, Bo's eyes locked with hers and held for a second too long. She couldn't tell if Lauren had noticed.

Part of her hoped she had.

But they were just friends, right?

Right.

* * *

I enjoy your feedback


	7. Chapter 7

Lauren's POV. I'm really enjoying writing this, I hope everyone else is enjoying reading it.

Just as a side note, I was kicking myself because I realized that the timeline of the "case" Bo is working on and the timeline I've been working with is off. Cases take longer than this to get to trial. But then I thought, hey, these are people who enjoy a show about a succubus, so maybe they'll be okay with just rolling with an unrealistic timeline as far as criminal trials are concerned. So that's what we're going with, lol

Also, Bo's coffee consumption habits are based on mine. Yes, I have a problem.

Enjoy

* * *

 _Ring, ring._

Lauren grabbed her desk phone, her eyes never leaving the folder in her hands. "Dr. Lewis."

"Hello, Doctor Lewis, this is prosecutor Dennis."

Lauren dropped the folder. "Oh, uh…hi, Bo. What's going on?"

Bo laughed softly and Lauren knew she had picked up on how the surprise of hearing Bo's voice had flustered her. "Sorry to bother you at work, but I was working on some case prep, and I realized that you were the treating physician for one of my victims."

The talk of work re-oriented Lauren's brain. "Oh, really? Which one?"

"Greg Alvi."

"Alvi…Alvi…yeah, stabbing victim, right?"

"Right, a little while back."

Lauren clicked open her calendar and was surprised to see court date listed on October 31. "Huh, it looks like the secretary already put it in my schedule."

"Yeah, one of the secretaries here did the summons so I didn't realize you were my witness until today. The main reason I'm calling is to see if you had some time to meet, maybe go over what I would need you to testify to?"

"Absolutely, do you have time today?" _Smooth, Lewis. Not at all too eager._

"Actually, yeah, want to meet for coffee around…how does 3 sound?"

"Perfect." They exchanged the meeting location and bid their goodbyes. After hanging up the phone, Lauren felt a smile spreading across her face.

She was excited to see Bo, she wasn't going to pretend that she wasn't. They actually hadn't seen each other at all since the night of Vex's fake birthday, and that had been about three weeks ago. It wasn't intentional, at least on Lauren's part – she had felt a connection to Bo that night. But it was also the night that Bo had found out about Nadia, so…but, really, that probably didn't matter, because Bo wasn't single either, and it's not like Lauren having a girlfriend would be an issue.

 _It's just coffee, and it's just work related_ , Lauren told herself. _Calm down. Get a grip._ But she couldn't help it – she knew this was unusual. She'd testified before, not a lot, but a few times, and she knew that lawyers rarely took you out for coffee to discuss routine cases. Greg Alvi had been stabbed badly, but there was really not much more to say that wasn't in his medical paperwork, which Bo definitely had seen and reviewed.

Maybe Bo just wanted to see her?

Yeah, probably not. But really, who was she hurting if she let herself believe it, just a little bit?

* * *

Lauren walked into the coffee shop at 2:50p, knowing she was early, but figuring that would give her enough time to get a cup of coffee before Bo arrived. Much to her surprise, she glanced to her left and saw Bo already sitting at a table, absorbed in paperwork that strewn in front of her. Lauren's heart stuttered, a sensation she was quickly coming to think of as the "Bo feeling."

"Hey, Bo," she said, walking over.

Bo jumped slightly and looked up. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Lauren thought she saw her eyes brighten slightly. "Doctor Lewis! Sorry, you startled me. I was absorbed in your brilliant medical work."

Lauren laughed. "Sure, sure. I'm going to grab a coffee, do you need one?" she asked.

"Sit, please, sit, I'll get you a cup. You're only here because I interrupted your day. And I could go for another one anyway." Bo grabbed a 20 ounce coffee cup off the table and took the last drag.

"Is that…you already drank that whole cup?"

Bo glanced at the cup, and then back at Lauren. "Yes. Sure…just that one…"

"Good Lord, Bo, how much coffee have you had today?"

"Well, let's see, I got to work and…that was probably about my fourth, I think?"

"Why would _anyone_ need that much caffeine?"

"I can smell colors now," Bo said with a grin.

Lauren laughed and gave Bo her orders. "Please promise you'll get decaf for yourself."

Bo waved a hand at her as she walked away. "Sure, sure."

When Bo returned, Lauren had started leafing through the pile. "Is it decaf?" Lauren asked, pointing at Bo's cup.

"It could be," Bo answered.

"But is it?"

"No. Not even a little bit. I also got an extra shot."

"BO!"

"Okay, two shots." Bo took a sip. "Ahhh," she said, exaggeratedly.

"Fine, but don't come complaining to me when your heart explodes," Lauren said, returning her eyes to the papers.

Lauren thought she heard Bo murmur "it might," but when she looked up Bo was leafing through papers as well, so Lauren assumed she must have imagined it.

Bo pulled a legal pad out from under the documents and clicked open a pen. "Alright, so if you can, just take me through your initial assessments and what you did."

Lauren gathered some papers and began talking.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the coffees were half finished and the two women had covered most of the care of Mr. Alvi. "Will this be your first time testifying?" Bo asked, making a note about the medication the victim had been given on her pad.

"No, I've testified three times before, actually."

"Any issues with public speaking? Nerves?"

Lauren gave a quick chuckle. "Well, I mean, I don't love it, is that a problem?"

Bo looked up and smiled. "Of course not. Most people don't. Just some things for you to remember when you're up there – first, there is no need to be worried. I'll be asking you questions and I'll keep you on track. If you don't know what I'm asking, you can ask me to clarify the question. If you don't remember, just say that, I'll ask if your report would refresh your recollection. If it will, you can look at it. Don't guess an answer if you aren't sure."

Lauren nodded.

"The defense attorney may try to intimidate you or get you off track. If he makes you uncomfortable, just look at me when you answer, or look at the jury. If you don't know what the defense attorney is trying to ask you, ask him to clarify. When asked a question, answer with as few words as possible. If you can say yes or no, just say yes or no. If I need you to expound more on something, I'll ask you to."

Lauren started to smile.

"Remember to breath before you answer. No one is going to rush you. Stay calm and collected. You did good work in this case – remember that. Regardless of whether or not I do my job well, you did yours well. That's what's important. This man would be dead without you. The hardest part of this case is over – you kept him alive. What are you smiling at?"

Lauren shook her head. "I was right the other night. You really are a protector, aren't you?"

Bo sat back, not sure what to say.

"It's a good thing. You take care of people, and you do it by building them up."

Bo took a sip of her coffee. "You're making me sound more virtuous than I am."

Lauren shrugged. "Maybe. But I doubt it."

They sat in silence for a minute before Bo cleared her throat. "Anyway, you're a doctor. That means you're kind of a protector, too, right?"

"I guess, in a way."

"Is that why you became a doctor?"

Lauren thought for a minute. "Maybe, a little. Maybe it was just some sort of God complex."

Bo laughed.

"I always liked knowing how things worked, how they fit together. The human body is so intricate, fragile, but also sturdy and tough. It's fascinating."

"So you always wanted to be a doctor?"

"It was always something I considered. It was also a good reason to stay away from my parents, so that was an added bonus." Lauren's voice was more bitter than she'd intended.

"I take it there's a story there?"

"Not a very unique one."

Bo nodded. "I like ordinary stories."

The "Bo feeling" flared up again. "I started dating women when I was at University, but it wasn't something I advertised, you know? I wasn't 'out,' it was just something that I did. We didn't date so much as get drunk and 'accidently end up sleeping together.' Eventually it got harder and harder to deny. When I started my internship, there was this mixer, this night out thing, and I met Nadia. She was in sort of the same position as me as far as her sexuality went, and we got together a few times.

"We got a point where there was really no denying it at all anymore, and she decided she wanted to come out to her family. I offered to go with her, for support. And her family…they just took it really, really well. It was almost surreal. They welcomed me, and they were warm…it was completely the opposite of what I think we both expected."

Lauren was quiet for a beat, lost in the memory. "So, after seeing that, I got up the courage to tell my parents. Nadia went with me. My parents…took it less well."

Bo winced. "God, that's…I'm sorry you went through that."

Lauren nodded. "They still don't accept it, really. Mom says she does, but she's constantly reminding me to keep it to myself, not tell anyone, that it could hurt my career. You know, subtle reminders that she's ashamed of me, I guess. Dad, he just refuses to accept it most of the time, but occasionally he'll get drunk and call to remind me that I'm screwed up and it's my mother's fault."

Without thought, Bo reached out and put her hand over Lauren's. "You know that's bullshit, right?" It was said firmly, so there was no room for argument.

Lauren gave Bo a weak smile. "It doesn't always feel like it, you know?"

"I'm glad you had Nadia, at least, to help you through it."

Lauren nodded. "Yeah, I am too. Going through that together, coming out together, it really bonded us. We were close for a really long time."

"Were?"

Lauren looked up, not realizing she had used the past tense until Bo had pointed it out. "Yeah. I mean, I care about her, but over time, I think…I don't know. It's like we went through a war together or something. That creates a strong bond, but…I don't know. I think somewhere along the way we became really close friends. I don't know that we're girlfriends so much anymore." It was the first time Lauren had ever said it out loud, and she was struck by how true it was. "We don't talk much since I moved, and what's weird is I don't think either one of us miss it that much. And the other night, she told me she was going out with friends, and I had the weirdest thought…I thought, you know, she could hook up with someone tonight, and I wouldn't know. And I realized…I wasn't jealous. I had the thought that if she met someone who swept her off her feet, I'd be happy for her. Crazy, right?"

Bo smiled at her again. "Maybe not that crazy."

"No? Huh."

"So, what happens now? Are you guys going to break up?"

"Yeah. Wow…I've never said that before. But yeah, I think so. I just don't think either one of us is ready to be the one to say it yet." _Besides, what's the rush? My girl isn't available yet, anyway._

 _When did I start thinking of Bo as "my girl"?_

"Well, for whatever it's worth, when you do break up, I don't think you'll be single for long, at least not if you don't want to be."

Lauren shrugged. "Maybe, if I meet the right person." _A brunette, maybe. A lawyer would be nice._

Something changed in Bo's eyes. "The right person is out there. I bet you'll find her soon."

Lauren's heart was thudding out of control, and she tried to tell herself it was the coffee when she answered, "I hope so."

A quiet settled over the table, and it was broken by Bo gathering up her papers. "I hate to say this, but I really do have to go back to work." Based on the look on Bo's face, Lauren knew she was telling the truth – she really didn't seem to want to leave.

Lauren helped her gather everything and dump it back into her bag. "Thanks for the coffee," Lauren said, trying to find any reason to prolong her time with Bo.

"My pleasure. Thanks so much for helping me with everything." With the papers put away and the table back in order, they stood.

Bo looked awkward for a second. "I don't really know how to say goodbye," she said with a laugh. "Just walking out feels flippant. And handshake seems weirdly formal."

For one of the first times in her life, Lauren was impulsive and pulled Bo into a hug. She felt certain that Bo would be able to feel her heart through her chest, but she didn't really care, because Bo was warm and Lauren didn't want to step back.

The hug lasted a touch longer than it probably should have, but when it ended Lauren and Bo bid their goodbyes and Bo walked out. Lauren stood, looking after her, trying to get her wits back about her.

After all, she needed to make a phone call.

* * *

Feedback is always appreciated


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter is slightly shorter than average, and it throws us out of pattern because it's another Lauren POV - really it was part of the last chapter, but it would have made that chapter wayyy too long.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren was in her living room, drinking a glass of wine. It was getting late. A glance at her clock confirmed that it was 11:15p. She needed to call Nadia. She took another sip of wine.

Thoughts of Bo were ringing through her head. She could still feel the weight of Bo pressed against her from their hug. She had smelled…warm. That was probably the best way to describe it. Like books, leather, and coffee. _Of course she smelled like coffee_ Lauren thought with a slight chuckle.

Mostly Lauren was thinking about the way she felt when she was around Bo. It was hard to describe. She felt excited and on edge around her, but also strangely calm. She had told Bo more today than she had probably ever told anyone. Nadia and Vex were the two people who probably knew Lauren the best in the world, but the truth was she had never had a conversation with them quite like the one she had with Bo today. They knew her because they had been there when things had happened. Bo knew because Lauren told her.

Lauren had admitted things to Bo that she hadn't even admitted to herself yet. Lauren wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she knew it was important. She knew it was noteworthy. Bo seemed to bring that out in her, that kind of honesty. She couldn't remember the last time she wanted so desperately to be _honest_ with someone, to have someone know her that completely.

Lauren needed to call Nadia, but she was putting it off because she was calling to end a five year relationship. It was bad enough that she was doing it over the phone. It would be worse to do it with another woman running through her brain.

She took a deep breath and took another drink, and her phone rang. _Nadia_ flashed across the screen. Talk about timing. _No time like the present, I guess_.

"Hey, Nadia."

"Hey, babe, how are you?" There was a slight hesitation in Nadia's voice.

"Everything okay? You sound…strange."

Nadia gave a humorless laugh. "You know me too well, I guess."

"What's wrong?"

There was a hesitation on the other end of the line. "I think…I think we need to talk, Lauren."

"Okay…"

She heard Nadia take a steady breath. "Listen, let me just start out by saying I love you, okay? I love you. I will always love you."

"Um…"

"Something…happened."

Lauren hesitated. "What do you mean?"

The next words came out of Nadia in a rush. "The other night, I told you I was going out with friends, and I was, I did, but Beth brought Stacey, and we just started talking and…"

"Nadia…are you calling to tell me you slept with someone else?"

"NO. _No_. Of course not."

"Okay, well then…"

"Listen, I just…" Nadia sighed. "Lauren, are you happy with us? Because I'm not happy. I love you, but I just…God, this is so corny…I don't know if I'm _in love_ with you, do you know what I mean?"

Lauren let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "God, Nadia…"

"I'm sorry, Lauren, I'm so, so sorry, I just –"

Lauren cut her off. "I feel the same way."

Nadia paused. "You…do?"

"Nadia, you and I went through something together, you know? We're bonded to each other. I think we were holding on to that, thinking it was love. I think it's…friendship, maybe? Or a shared history. But I don't think it's what we need. I don't think it's all we need." She heard Nadia crying. "Are you okay?"

"Lauren, I'm so…relieved. I've been putting off calling you for days, and I've been putting off seeing you because I was too chicken to do this in person."

"It's okay. Really. It is." She smiled. "Tell me about Stacey."

"What?"

"That's what made you realize you and I weren't working. She must be special."

"You want me to…tell you about her? Doesn't that feel, I don't know, masochistic?"

"When you're done telling me about Stacey, I'll tell you about Bo."

"…Bo?"

"Listen, Nadia, here's the thing – if you don't want us to talk about this, I'm fine with that. We can part ways with no hard feelings. But the truth is, even though we aren't in love with each other, I still love you. You're still someone I'm close to. And I met Bo shortly after I got here, and she's like a song, you know? Like a song that you aren't listening for but it comes on the radio and then it's stuck in your head, and you can't get it out, and all you want to do is call your best friend and tell them about this stupid song because maybe sharing it would make it better, but you can't, because telling your friend about the song could hurt them, and you don't want that, but you really want to listen to the song some more, but…this metaphor is just falling apart at the seams."

Nadia laughed. Lauren smiled.

"I want you to be happy, Nadia. Truly, I do. If Stacey has a chance of being the person who makes you happy, that makes me happy. Honestly, it does."

"What about Bo? Is she someone who might make you happy?"

"She already does. She isn't single. We aren't even close to dating. But being around her…sorry, I shouldn't be talking about this."

"No, it's okay, actually. She sounds special."

"She is. What about Stacey?"

"She's _funny_ , Lauren. She makes me laugh, all the time. And she loves animals, she has two dogs. She's a writer."

" _Really?_ I don't see you with an artsy type."

Nadia laughed. "I know. Crazy, right?"

* * *

Vex was half laying on Lauren's couch, his legs stretched out in front of him propped on the coffee table. "You broke up?"

Lauren nodded. "I think it was time."

"Well of course it was time, darling," Vex answered.

It had been two days since breaking up with Nadia, and Lauren felt…neutral. She knew she wasn't feeling how she was supposed to feel when a five year relationship ended, but she was having a hard time making herself feel angry, or sad, or wistful, or nostalgic.

No one here knew about Nadia, other than Vex and Bo. She had thought briefly about calling Bo, but…that just seemed like a bad idea. She had analyzed it for a while, actually. If she had called Bo and told her about it, Bo would have likely been supportive and caring and nurturing, and that would have been great. Amazing, actually. But all it really would have done is underscored for Lauren that she was starting to crave a relationship with Bo, something that definitely wasn't just friendship.

So, from there, where did that put her? If an endgame was to be with Bo, then best case scenario was, what, hooking up with Bo? While Bo was still dating someone? While Lauren was at least theoretically rebounding? Not ideal.

Okay, so then maybe best case scenario was Bo taking the role of friend right now, and talking her through the breakup. But the catch there was that the more she was around Bo, the more her growing feelings ate at her. And, anyway, talking over your failed relationship with the person you hope to be your future relationship? That seemed weird.

In the end, Lauren had called Vex. He was, of course, the most logical choice. He had known Lauren and Nadia as a couple. He knew Lauren's history with her. But, more importantly, he knew _Lauren._

"That's not really the only thing I wanted to talk to you about, though," Lauren said. Vex looked at her expectantly. "Part of the reason I did it, the reason we broke up, is because…there's sort of someone else."

Vex looked surprised. "You're seeing someone?"

"No. There's just someone else that I would like to be seeing."

"Who?"

"Bo."

Vex looked surprised for a minute and then shook his head. "Terrible idea."

Lauren's heart dropped. "What, because of Rainer?"

Vex sighed. "No, darling, not because of him, but because of what he _represents_. I've known Bo for a while now, and let me tell you, her taste in romantic partners is _abysmal_. And Bo isn't the type of girl that settles down, whereas you, my darling, are definitely the type a girl for someone to build a future with. It's like with me and Dave –"

"Dave isn't real. Go on."

Vex laughed, and Lauren felt herself smile slightly as she realized more and more she was privy to this side of Vex that no one else saw. "Alright, fine, but the point still stands, alright? I love Bo, but if she broke your heart, I'd have to kill her, and you know I don't like to muss my nails."

Lauren nodded. "Am I crazy for feeling this way?"

Vex thought for a moment. "I think you just got out of a long relationship, and I think that relationship was vital to you in many ways. If you have feelings for Bo I'm certainly not one to judge. But maybe you need to be single for a while, that's all I'm saying, alright? Maybe learn about 'Lauren', not 'Lauren and'."

Lauren ran her hand through her hair. "Yeah, I think you might be right. Maybe I just need some space from her." Lauren looked down at her hands.

Vex took his finger and curled it under Lauren's chin, lifting her gaze to his eyes. "It's serious, isn't it?"

Lauren sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

Vex laughed. "Love, I've known you better than _you've_ known you for almost your entire life. I'll support you. Just careful."

Lauren nodded. "And, hey, I guess it's moot, anyway, because she isn't single."

Vex laid back and smiled. "Never stopped me, love."

* * *

I always like hearing from you


	9. Chapter 9

Bo POV. Enjoy.

* * *

"It is the most important of our _many_ traditions!" Vex said loudly, leaning across the bar. It was early afternoon on an unseasonably warm, lazy Saturday.

"I'm not arguing with you, Vex," Kenzi said, putting away glasses.

"To bring an end to this sacred event would be a crime on par with human trafficking!" Vex replied.

Bo walked into the bar, carrying a grocery bag of lemons and limes. "What's on par with human trafficking?"

Dyson walked out of the back room, carrying liquor bottles. "Vex is talking about trick or treating."

"ADULT trick or treating," Vex clarified.

"He's worried we're going to cancel the bar crawl," Kenzi said.

"Oh. Are we?" Bo asked.

"No," Kenzi said, reaching for another glass.

"Wait – you aren't canceling?" Vex asked.

"Why would we cancel it? We made a killing last year," Dyson answered. "And, also, Halloween is in two weeks. If we had canceled, you really thought that you could convince us to change our minds and pull all this off by then?"

"Oh," Vex said, sitting back. "Alright, then. Unrelated, can I have off on Halloween?"

Dyson laughed. "When was the last time you actually worked?"

Bo walked behind the bar and grabbed a cutting board. "I have a trial that day, so I can't promise I'll be here, either," she said

"Nate is going to help out," Kenzi answered. "I think we'll have enough coverage. Tamsin also said she was free."

"Coverage for what?" Lauren asked, walking in.

Bo felt her heart rate pick and an involuntary smile tug at her cheeks. "Adult trick or treating," Bo answered.

"My brilliant idea," Kenzi said, with an exaggerated hair flip.

"It's basically a bar crawl." Bo continued. "Everyone starts and ends here, there's a costume contest, it's a whole thing. It's $50 a person for an armband, and you get 10% off at all the participating bars. They make a lot of money, so we get a good response, and since it starts and ends here, we get people buying drinks when they're starting to party and when they're too drunk to realize they should stop. One of our best days of the year."

"Sounds fun," Lauren said, sitting on the stool beside Vex.

"It _is_ , darling, and this year you are going as the Sonny to my Cher," Vex said.

"Sorry, I can't," Lauren answered, grabbing a pretzel. "I'll be with Bo."

Vex turned to Lauren and Bo could have sworn she saw some strange expression pass between the two of them, but it was over quickly enough that she assumed she must have imagined it.

"Yeah, Dr. Lewis is my star witness," Bo said, sliding the cut limes off the cutting board into a bowl.

"Well that's remarkably dull," Vex said. "Can't you just, you know, let it go or whatever? It's Halloween, after all," Vex asked, waving his hand in a vague sweeping motion at Bo.

Bo smiled. "Oh, Vex, you truly are the moral conscience of us all."

* * *

By 8:30 the bar was mostly full. Dyson and Bo were bartending, with Kenzi waitressing and Tamsin pitching in as a bar back. Vex was wandering around, trying to get a dance party started while Nate played guitar in the corner. Lauren sat at the bar, a book in hand.

"You know, most people don't come to a bar to read…" Bo's eyes scanned the cover of the book, "…The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Seriously? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"

Lauren laughed. "I know, I know, it's dorky, But what can I say? I grew up in England. I like British humor."

"Can I get a gin and tonic?" someone asked a few seats over. Bo felt a flash of annoyance. Yes, she was working, she knew that, but still, it had just sounded rude. _Or you just wanted to talk to Lauren._

Bo made the gin and tonic and passed it to the customer. "So, do you exclusively read dorky British books?" Bo asked.

"Sometimes I read dorky American books," Lauren answered. Bo laughed and Lauren smiled. "What about you, Prosecutor Dennis? Is it all John Grisham for you?"

"Uh, no, not a fan," Bo said, pouring a beer for another customer at the bar. "I have read a few Terry Pratchett books. I like British humor, too."

" _Sir_ Terry Pratchett," Lauren corrected.

"Yes, excuse me, _Sir_ Terry Pratchett," Bo answered. "But the truth is I don't find time to read very often. My reading routine is more along the lines of news articles online and Buzzfeed."

Lauren laughed. "Yeah, I'm in mostly the same boat."

"Hey, Bo, I need two martinis and a rum and coke," Kenzi said, walking up to the bar. She looked at Lauren. "Seriously, Doctor? You brought a book at a bar?"

Lauren laughed and rolled her eyes. "Geez, I feel so judged at this bar."

"You're hot and you're in a room filled with alcohol. Go get some strange, Doctor Hotpants!"

"Doctor…what?" Lauren asked.

Bo flashed Kenzi a look. "Leave her alone, Kenz, if she wants to read, let her read."

Kenzi put her hands up in front of her. "Hey, if she wants to read, that's fine with me, I'm just saying she's young, she's hot, she might as well get out there and shake what the good Lord gave her and get some action."

"Um…thanks?" Lauren said.

"It's a compliment, sweetie," Kenzi said with a smile, putting her hand on Lauren's shoulder.

"She's not kidding, she does think that was a compliment," Bo said, finishing the drinks and handing them to Kenzi.

Kenzi walked off and Bo turned her eyes back to Lauren. "Sorry. Kenzi can be…direct."

Lauren smiled. "It's okay. I like her."

Bo's heart warmed in her chest. Kenzi could be brash and abrupt, Bo knew that better than most, but the truth was Kenzi was practically Bo's sister, and seeing that Lauren was accepting of her made her affection for Lauren grow slightly.

"I didn't mention Nadia to her, either, so she doesn't realize quite how inappropriate she was, either," Bo said.

"Oh, that's…that's actually fine." Lauren ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "That's, uh, that's actually not an issue any more, so…"

Bo stopped and looked at Lauren. "It's not?"

"No. Not for a couple weeks or so."

Bo felt frozen. She could hear her blood thrumming in her ears. _Lauren is single. Lauren is single. Lauren is single._

 _But you're not._

Bo snapped herself back to reality. "Oh, I'm really sorry."

Lauren gave a small smile. "Don't be. It was time."

"How did it go?"

"Actually? Really well. I think we might even be able to be friends again after a while."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, is that weird?"

Bo shrugged. "I've never been able to stay friends with my exes, that's all."

"Of course not, darling, your exes are wretched," Vex said, propping himself up next to Lauren. "And you, love," he said, looking fully at Lauren now, "it's time for you to rebound. Come meet this lovely Vietnamese gymnast I just found." He grabbed Lauren's hand and began to drag her away. Lauren followed, tossing Bo an apologetic look.

Bo gave a small smile in response and wave to indicate it was okay. She sort of hated Vex at that second, but she knew that wasn't fair. Lauren was single, and Kenzi was right – she was young and beautiful. She should be out mingling, finding someone. Bo wasn't an option, and even if Bo were single, her track record was far from positive. Lauren deserved someone great. Someone better. With a sigh, Bo went back to work.

* * *

About an hour later Lauren returned to the bar in front of Bo. She made some vague comment about the girl Vex had introduced her too, and then dismissed the encounter quickly. She and Bo fell back into their easy conversation, and before they quite realized what had happened it was last call and the bar was emptying.

 _Invite her to have a drink with you after closing_ , Bo thought. The words were about to come out of her mouth when she hesitated.

 _What are you doing, Bo?_

The truth was she wanted Lauren to stay. She loved talking to her. And, yeah, it had been a busy night, and a drink would be nice, but what was her end game here? If she asked Lauren to stay it would be because she was attracted to her. It would be because she wanted to believe for a moment that it was a date, that they could be a couple. It would be unfair to Rainer, unfair to Lauren, unfair to everyone.

But the number one realization Bo had in that moment – she didn't care.

"Do you want to stay and have a drink after closing?" Bo asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Bo saw Kenzi's head perk up.

Lauren looked a Bo for a long second, and Bo felt certain that she could see the wheels turning in Lauren's mind. It was almost curious to Bo – this was one way she and Lauren were so different. Where Bo was impulsive, Lauren was calculated and thoughtful.

Lauren cleared her throat. "I'd love to, but I think I should probably head home." Bo felt slightly deflated, but then Lauren's voice continued. "Rain check?"

Bo smiled. "Definitely."

* * *

Kenzi and Bo flopped onto their couch at 3:00a, both tired, but neither quite ready to go to sleep.

"So are we going to talk about that, or what?" Kenzi asked.

"What?" Bo asked.

"Don't give me that, you know what."

Bo sighed. "There's nothing to talk about, Kenz."

"Bullshit."

Bo ran her hands over her face.

"This is the gummy bears all over again," Kenzi said, shaking her head.

"What?"

"Don't you remember? When you, me, and Dyson decided we were going to make the world's biggest gummy bear?"

The memory came back to Bo. It had been when she, Kenzi, and Dyson were 12. They were at Dyson's house and got the brilliant idea to make the world's biggest gummy bear, so they took two bags of gummy bears, put them in a bowl, and microwaved them until they were liquid. Dyson had warned Bo not to touch the bowl, that it was going to be hot, but Bo hadn't listened. She scalded two of her fingers so badly that they had blistered.

"This isn't the gummy bears."

"You always have to push the envelope, go for something that you shouldn't. You have a boyfriend. And, yeah, he's an ass, but until you end that, you need to leave Lauren alone or this time the one getting hurt could be her."

"I wouldn't hurt her, Kenzi."

Kenzi put her hand on Bo's back. "I know you don't want to. But what are you doing?"

Bo sighed in frustration. "Nothing. I mean, I don't know, I just…I just like spending time with her, Kenz, is that so wrong?"

"Of course not. But we both know that this isn't just you making a new friend." Bo didn't answer. "Look, for what it's worth, I like Lauren. And I think she could be good for you. She might be the person who helps you sort through your shit. But if you fuck this up now you're going to ruin it for yourself."

"I know."

"So dump Rainer. Talk to Lauren. Get on top of your shit."

Bo looked at Kenzi. "You should be a motivational speaker," she said, sarcastically.

"Tough love, babycakes, tough love."

* * *

As always, I love to hear from you all


	10. Chapter 10

To anyone who thought that last chapter was short - you can't say that about this one.

Bo's POV again, despite the last chapter. Also, this chapter is the first time in this story where there are scenes that neither Bo or Lauren are in. For those there is no specific POV. Hopefully it isn't confusing, the structure is slightly different than other chapters - if anyone isn't clear, I'll explain it in next chapter's author's note.

Enjoy

* * *

As everyone filed out of the courtroom, Bo sat at the trial table, scanning her notes. Her scrawled handwriting spilled out before her, but she wasn't focusing on anything in particular. It didn't matter now, anyway. The case was over. She had lost.

Mostly she was trying to keep herself focused. She needed to get up. She needed to go debrief her witnesses. She needed to gather up her shit, get back to her office, and start putting this loss behind her. Tomorrow was another day, and she had plenty more cases that needed her attention.

She took a deep breath, and looked at her notes a few beats longer.

The loss wasn't a shock – in the end, the evidence had been slim. While there was no doubt in her mind that she had the right person, the jury's decision was more or less expected. That didn't do anything to make Bo's mood less sour.

She ran a hand through her hair and started gathering everything. There would be time to sulk later – for now, she needed to talk to her witnesses. Time to be an adult.

After packing up her things, she headed into the hall. Sitting on the bench waiting for her were two investigating officers and Lauren. She looked at one of the officers. "Did Greg leave?"

The officer nodded. "Yeah, he took off right after he finished testifying."

Bo nodded. She wasn't surprised – despite all of their conversations, Greg had gotten on the stand and claimed he remembered nothing. He had been their main witness – without his testimony, they hadn't had a prayer.

"Sorry, guys," Bo said to the officers.

They shrugged. "No problem, we'll get the next one." They exchanged pleasantries and left, leaving Bo alone with Lauren.

Lauren looked at her sympathetically. "For what it's worth, they were saying what a great job you did."

Bo laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, for all the good it did us."

Lauren stood up, looking unsure of herself. "Well, that's the way it goes sometimes, right?" Bo nodded, not saying anything. Lauren cleared her throat. "Listen, why don't we go out? We can head to the Dal, take your mind off of today."

Bo smiled. "Thanks. Really, thanks – for testifying today, and for the invite. But I think I'm going to head back to my office and close a few things out. I'm not in a party mood, really."

Lauren nodded. "Okay." She hesitated a moment, before saying, "don't work too late, okay?"

Bo smiled. "I won't. Go have a good time."

* * *

An hour later, Bo was sitting in her office when her cell phone lit up. She looked at the screen and saw a text message from Lauren.

 _I'm outside._

What? Bo walked to the front of the building and saw Lauren outside, leaving against the railing. Bo opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

Lauren smiled and lifted both of her hands, each holding a six pack. "I didn't want to drink alone," she answered. Bo smiled and held the door open, letting Lauren in.

* * *

By 7:30 the Dal was packed. Vex weaved his way up to the bar, where his friends were rushing around making sure everyone was served. "Happy Halloween, my darlings!" he said, loudly.

"Hey, Vex, glad you're here," said Dyson, who was dressed as a werewolf. "Can you go in the back and grab us some clean glasses?"

"Nate, can you be a love and get some glasses?" Vex asked, grabbing a pretzel from the bowl. Nate, dressed as Kurt Cobain, laughed and shook his head.

Ciara, dressed as a fairy, looked at Vex. "Yes, that was spectacularly helpful, thank you,."

"I do what I can, love. Kenzi! Darling! You make a smashing Courtney Love," Vex said, as Kenzi walked out of the back. Tamsin walked out after her. "And Tamsin, you are a…off brand wonder woman?"

"I'm a Valkyrie," Tamsin answered.

"A what?"

"Crack a book, Vex," Tamsin answered as she grabbed bottles and started making drinks. "What are you supposed to be, anyway?"

"Edward Scissorhands!" Vex answered, holding up his arm.

"So you just dressed normally and bought some cheap Wolverine claws?" Nate asked.

"The holidays truly bring out the worst in you people," Vex answered.

* * *

Bo leaned back in her chair, her feet on top of her desk. Lauren sat across from her, reclined on the old couch in Bo's office. Each were on their second beer when Lauren cleared her throat. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Bo looked up, silently giving Lauren permission.

"Why this case? I mean, what was so special about this case?" Lauren asked.

Bo looked down for a moment, thinking. The truth was this case wasn't that noteworthy; yes, there had been a stabbing, but honestly worse crimes were happening every day. This one had just resonated with her. "I don't know," Bo answered, honestly. "I guess I just…I don't like to lose. And I wanted to win for Greg."

Lauren nodded. "But…I mean, Greg, he didn't care about a win."

Bo sighed. Lauren was right, of course. Greg had tried to back out of the case multiple times. Today's testimony was not at all a shock. "I just…I know kids like him. Hell, I _was_ a kid like him. I know he didn't care about this, and he didn't want to be involved in it, but he deserved some justice. Kids like him…they deserve that."

Lauren was quiet for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to ask the next question. "What do you mean you were a kid like him?"

Bo ran her thumbnail over the label on her beer. "You don't want to hear about that," she answered.

"No, I do," Lauren replied. Bo looked up and was caught by Lauren's eyes. "I really do." Bo could tell she meant it.

"Greg's mom was an addict, just like mine. He didn't have any adult role models, he had to raise himself, basically. No one ever looked out for him, but he survived, you know? I respect that about him. He's tough." Bo took a deep breath and other sip of her beer. "And that's sort of how we came up, too. My mom was this…weak, helpless junkie. And my dad…" she shook her head. "Suffice to say, it wasn't a healthy relationship. He was abusive, awful. But no matter how bad it got, no matter what he did to her, my mom always went back to him. She would give me reasons like she loved him, or she needed him, or he was her soul mate, or whatever. The truth was he gave her the drugs, so she couldn't leave him, right?

"Kenzi's family was basically the same way, except that for her it was a stepdad. You know what's weird about growing up like that? You don't talk about it. Ever. With anyone." Bo took another drink.

Lauren sat, not moving. After a period of silence, Bo looked up and smiled weakly. "Sorry. I know that was too much."

Lauren shook her head emphatically. "No, no it wasn't. So that's how you got to be so close to Kenzi?"

Bo nodded, now starting to peel the label. "Yeah, we didn't talk about our parents, but we didn't need to, you know? We both got it. We were in the same boat. So we just…I don't know, we raised each other, I guess.

"We started running away from home when we were nine or so. No one ever came looking for us, so I don't know why we went back, but we usually did. When we were eleven we started running away to Dyson's house.

"Dyson's mom was a single parent. She'd been in a bad marriage, and after she ended it she moved here with Dyson. And she always took us in, you know? She was really good to us."

"She sounds like an amazing woman."

"She really is. I've always kind of been in awe of her, really. I think she's probably the reason I became a lawyer, if I'm being honest." The label started to crumble and peel under Bo's fingers.

* * *

The crowd was starting to thin out now as the "trick or treaters" drifted out for the bar crawl, giving the gang the chance to clean and restock. Even Vex was behind the bar when the door swung open and Kevin Rainer, dressed as a private investigator in a trench coat, walked in the door.

"Crikey, what the hell are you doing here?" Vex asked.

Rainer sighed. "Always great to see you, too," he said, sarcastically.

"Bo isn't here," Dyson said, not bothering to pause as he spoke to Rainer.

Rainer bit back a rude reply, opting to try to be cordial. These were Bo's friends, he needed to try to be civil. "Is it alright if I wait for her?"

Ciara looked at him, surprised. "Uh, sure. Do you want a drink?"

Rainer gave her a half smile. "Sure. Whatever's on tap is fine."

* * *

"What do you mean? What about her made you want to be a lawyer?"

Bo thought for a second. "Well, maybe not a lawyer, specifically, but I just wanted to be like her, you know? I mean, she was a woman who was in a bad relationship and had a kid to worry about. So, what did she do? She packs the kid up and leaves the freaking country to get away from the guy. It's a gutsy move, you know?

"And then she gets here, and of course she has no money, but she finds some apartment in the bad part of town that she can afford and she says, 'okay, I'll make this work.' And she does.

"Then her son comes home from school one day with these two scrappy girls, and what does she do? She doesn't turn us away, like she probably should have, she doesn't call the cops, she doesn't forbid Dyson from associating with us – she lets us stay. She gets on us about our grades. She punishes us when we act up. She goes to parent conferences and finds out how we're doing. She finds out who we're spending time with. She _raises_ us."

Lauren sat silently, clearly surprised. "Wow, that's…incredible."

"She was strong. That's what I wanted to be. Strong. Tough. Independent."

Lauren nodded, not saying anything, letting Bo continue.

"She didn't need _anyone_. I admired that. If my own mother taught me anything, it was that needing people was death. I mean, she 'needed' my dad, and look where that got her. But Dyson's mom…Anyway, along the way somewhere, I got the idea that law school was the way to go, and I got in, and that was that." Bo took another drink of her beer, finishing the bottle. "She died a few years ago."

Lauren visibly winced. "I'm so sorry."

Bo opened a third beer. "It's okay. I mean, it was hard, but it was okay." Lauren finished her beer and opened a third as well.

* * *

Rainer reached into his coat pocket to grab his wallet. When he pulled his hand out, a small box popped out and skittered across the floor, coming to rest near where Kenzi was straightening some tables.

As it came to a stop near her foot, Kenzi looked down. She began to reach for it, then stopped halfway and looked at Rainer, who was standing watching her, frozen.

"…what the hell is that?" Kenzi asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"What?" Dyson asked, looking over at Kenzi from behind the bar.

Rainer didn't answer. Kenzi picked up the box and opened it, revealing a ring.

Dyson, still looking over, saw the ring and froze as well.

Vex looked around and everyone standing still. "Well this is bloody awkward, what are you all star— _oh shit, what the fuck is that?_ "

* * *

"You know, needing people isn't a sign of weakness," Lauren commented.

The alcohol was buzzing in Bo's head. She hadn't eaten all day, and she was now realizing that drinking had been a mistake. She knew she needed to stop talking, but…fuck, it was _Lauren_ , and she just really wanted to keep talking to her.

"Needing people leads to problems," Bo commented. "So I don't. It makes things easier."

"You need Kenzi, and Dyson," Lauren pointed out.

Bo considered that point for a moment. "Yeah, maybe…"

"But you don't need Rainer."

 _Bingo._ There was no need to affirm the comment – it hadn't been said as a question. They both knew it was true.

* * *

Rainer looked around the room and sighed. "Alright, go ahead, have a laugh. Yeah, I'm still carrying it. I know it's pathetic. Let's just get this over with." He dropped back onto the stool.

"What do you…why do…what…what?" Dyson sputtered.

"Yeah, and to build on what Dyson said, _what?_ " Kenzi added.

"You were going to propose?" Nate asked.

Rainer looked at all of them slowly with a confused expression. Then, slowly, the truth dawned on him. "She…she never told any of you, did she?"

"Told us what?" Dyson asked.

" _Holy shit,_ " Kenzi whispered. "He already did it. You already asked her, didn't you?"

* * *

"He proposed," Bo said. She swallowed the last of the third beer.

Lauren, who had been lifting her bottle to her lips, froze.

Bo popped open a fourth, took a sip, and immediately began peeling the label, just as she had done with the other three. She kept talking, not looking at Lauren. "Needing people, needing a partner, it makes you weak. It makes you vulnerable. I don't want to be vulnerable. And Rainer…I don't need him at all." She took another drink. "I know it's despicable. But, hey, I'm a lawyer, no one ever claimed we were good people." She laughed lightly at her own joke.

Lauren tried to snap herself back. "Um…"

Bo kept talking, still not looking at Lauren. Her voice was quiet, almost introspective. "He loves me. So, it's kind of perfect, right? I know he loves me. He'll stay with me. I don't even have to ask him to – he asked me. Some part of me has always wanted that, you know? To be settled, to have some kind of Norman Rockwell life…but I never _needed_ anyone, so I never could have that. And then here comes Rainer, and he's in love with me, and he's willing to stay with me despite all my shit, and…fuck it, I don't know. This is what I always wanted, right? It's the perfect relationship. He loves me, he won't leave me, and I feel _nothing_ for him, and I don't need him at all." _Stop talking, Bo. Shut up._

She sighed. "I said no. When he asked me, I said no. But we stayed together. I mean, I know he's going to ask again at some point. It's only logical – if he asked once, he'll ask again if we don't break up." She swallowed some more beer. She really needed to stop drinking, but the drinking was facilitating this honesty. "So, there we are. He's going to ask again at some point. So the only options left are to break up with him, or to say yes."

Lauren didn't say anything. Bo finally looked up, and found Lauren staring at her.

"Sorry," Bo said, shaking her head. "That was…uh, that was a shitload to dump on you. Sorry, seriously."

Lauren seemed to come back to herself. "No, no, don't apologize. I mean, I'm glad you shared."

Bo laughed. "No, you're not."

Lauren smiled. "No, really, I am."

Bo nodded. "Okay, then. Any brilliant insights, Doctor? I mean, other than the totally obvious observation that I'm fucked up."

Lauren looked pensive for a moment, then quietly said, "don't say yes."

* * *

The bar started filling up again with drunken trick or treaters around 10. Despite the information they had received earlier in the evening, the gang was soon too busy to dwell on anything other than serving customers. Rainer left around 11. In the midst of the chaos, however, after Rainer left, Kenzi managed to grab her phone and send a quick message to Bo.

 _We need to talk_

Bo's phone lit up with a text message. Kenzi: _We need to talk._ Bo frowned at the phone, wondering what the message meant.

"Everything okay?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged and dropped the phone. "Just a text from Kenzi. I guess something happened at the bar. I'll catch up with her later."

Lauren looked at the time. "Oh, God, I had no idea how late it had gotten. We should probably get going, right?"

 _No_ , Bo thought. _We should stay here._ "Yeah," Bo answered, fighting her instincts.

They started gathering up the trash, pushing the bottles back into the cardboard holder so they could throw them away someone other than in Bo's office. Bo started sweeping the label pieces off her desk and into her hand. Lauren walked up beside her to help.

 _Oh, God, she smells amazing_ , Bo thought. Her senses were on fire. She was drunk, and Lauren was right there, and God why couldn't things just be simple for once?

They finished cleaning up the paper and stood up straight. "Thanks for coming by," Bo said, softly.

"No problem," Lauren answered.

Bo's eyes flickered to Lauren's lips. _Stop it, Bo_.

 _No._

Bo reached her hand up behind Lauren's neck and pulled her in.

 _I'm more drunk than I thought._ That was the first though through Bo's head when her lips made contact with Lauren's. Her head was spinning, her heart was pounding…and then she felt Lauren's hands on her hips, pulling her closer.

Bo tilted her head and suddenly the kiss became much deeper, much more intense. Bo felt her tongue slide against Lauren's and felt Lauren shiver under her hands.

Bo was drowning. She placed her other hand on the side of Lauren's face, her fingers curling around Lauren's earlobe. She heard a whimper, and she wasn't sure who it came from.

They needed to breathe. Bo pulled her head back slightly and drew in a gasp of air. She heard Lauren do the same, and Bo looked up into Lauren's eyes.

"We're drunk," Bo murmured, not stepping away.

"Yes. We are," Lauren whispered. And then she pulled Bo back in for another kiss.

* * *

Bo walked into the apartment at 2:30a. She was considerably more sober now. Lauren had left her office hours ago, but she hadn't gone home. Instead, she had spent the last few hours wandering around, silently observing drunk people in costumes stumbling out of bars.

Kenzi was sitting on the couch when Bo walked in. She turned her head to Bo.

"He proposed?" Kenzi asked, flatly.

Bo was exhausted. She just nodded in response.

Kenzi sat looking at Bo expectantly. When Bo didn't say anything, Kenzi prompted her. "And?"

"I kissed Lauren." Bo turned and walked to her room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Feedback is always appreciated


	11. Chapter 11

Quick chapter, from both POVs. Why am I posting this today? There are literally 84 files of actual work in my office right now. I think I'm spoiling you people.

Enjoy

* * *

Bo woke up with a pounding headache, and she silently cursed herself for forgetting to close the curtains the night before. She looked at the clock – 8:30a. She slowly dragged herself out of bed. She needed aspirin. And coffee.

She made her way downstairs and halfway down heard talking coming from the kitchen. When she walked in, Kenzi and Dyson were sitting together, eating cereal.

"Is there coffee?" Bo mumbled, her eyes immediately finding the coffee pot. It was half full. She walked over and grabbed a mug.

"Bo, we need to talk," Dyson said.

Bo put her hand up in a 'stop' gesture, pouring her coffee with the other hand. She padded to the fridge and grabbed some cream, stirring it in quickly. She took a sip and closed her eyes as it washed over her tongue. _Ahhh…_ maybe it was the placebo effect, but who cared, she felt better already.

After a second sip, she turned her attention back to Dyson and Kenzi. "Is this an intervention?"

"Yes," Kenzi answered curtly, having another spoonful of cereal.

Bo nodded, taking another sip.

"Bo, look, Kenzi has been filling me in on last night," Dyson said.

"Mmm," Bo said, continuing to drink.

"That's all you have to say? Seriously? _Seriously?_ " Kenzi spat. "Dude, I am majorly pissed at you right now. I don't know what's going on with you lately, but you're on some kind of crazy self-destructive streak. You work insane hours. You refuse to break up with Rainer. You're cheating on him by kissing Lauren. You're fucking yourself over and you don't even seem to _care_ –"

"Shhh…" Bo said, wincing. "Dial it down a little, let's all exercise our inside voices."

"NO. Bo, it's no secret that I'm no big fan of Rainer, but what you're doing to him –"

Bo cut Kenzi off. "Rainer isn't an issue anymore." She drained the last of her coffee and went for another cup.

"—what?" Kenzi asked, her voice at more of a normal level.

"I broke up with him."

"When?" Dyson asked.

Bo looked at her watch. "About five or six hours ago."

Dyson and Kenzi sat silently, obviously surprised as Bo continued to drink her coffee. "Alright, that's your first issue down. What's the next one?"

* * *

Lauren woke up slowly. Her thoughts felt delayed, like a TV screen just slightly out of sync with the sound. The events of the night before were flashing through her mind. The trial. The drinking. Talking to Bo. Kissing Bo.

 _Kissing Bo._

She needed to feel bad about it, to feel guilty. Bo had a boyfriend; despite her conversations with Bo the night before, despite knowing that Bo wasn't happy with him and didn't love him, despite knowing that the relationship probably wouldn't last, with or without her, she knew that she had crossed a line. She had added and abetted cheating. It was despicable. It was wrong.

So why didn't she feel guilty?

 _Rainer is a dick_ , she told herself. _He doesn't deserve Bo_.

But was that true, really? She thought back through the conversation with Bo the night before. Rainer was Bo's boyfriend. He fell in love with Bo. Bo didn't fall in love with him. He tried to progress their relationship, to take it to the next level, and Bo had rejected him, but let him keep his hope alive. So was he really a dick?

No. He was a guy with terrible luck.

Lauren sighed and reached for her phone – a text from Vex, chastising her for not coming out with him the night before. She looked at the time and saw that it was 8:30. Vex wouldn't be awake yet. She texted him anyway.

 _Get up and come over. I need to talk to you._

* * *

"You broke up with him last night?" Kenzi asked.

Bo sighed. "Yeah. I had to. I just…I couldn't keep doing it to him. I realized last night that what I was doing was awful. I mean, I knew that, I guess, but I just…I had to end it. No one deserves what I was putting him through."

"Wow. All this just because you kissed Lauren? Chick has some magic lips," Kenzi commented.

Bo laughed and then winced. "Ow. Don't make me do that. No, it wasn't that. Before…that…we were talking, and drinking, and I don't know, I just kind of realized it. When I was telling her about him it was like, I started realizing things that I hadn't admitted to myself yet, you know? Like the other day at coffee, when she was telling me about Nadia –"

"Coffee?" Dyson cut in.

"Who's Nadia?" Kenzi asked at the same time.

 _Ah, shit, shouldn't have kept talking_. Bo gave a noncommittal wave of her hand. "Nothing, never mind."

"Oh no, no, no," Kenzi said. "Back it up. You and Lauren went for coffee? How many dates have you been on?!"

"None," Bo answered. "We met for coffee about a work thing. We were going over her testimony for the trial."

"And was this Nadia a part of the trial?" Dyson asked.

Bo sighed. "No…Nadia is Lauren's girlfriend."

Kenzi drew in a deep breath. "Bo…what…the…hell…"

" _Was_. I meant _was_ her girlfriend. They broke up."

"When did they break up?" Dyson asked.

"After," Bo cleared her throat, "after we had coffee."

"So, let me see if I have this right. Stop me if I get something wrong. You took Lauren out for coffee 'for work'," Dyson said, using air quotes. "She tells you she has a girlfriend. Based on what you two talk about, she decides to break up with her girlfriend. How am I doing so far?"

Bo looked at her mug, running her finger around the brim.

"Then, you all spend time alone, drinking, last night. You talk to her about Kevin. Based on that conversation, you kiss her. You then break up with your boyfriend."

"That's…fairly accurate," Bo answered.

Dyson sighed. "What are you doing, Bo?"

* * *

Vex arrived at Lauren's house, looking tired and grumpy. "This better be something good, love, or I'm out."

"I kissed Bo."

"I'm in. Go on."

* * *

"So are you two together now?" Dyson asked.

"No. We're…nothing. We were just drunk. It didn't mean anything."

"Bull _shit_ ," Kenzi said, slapping her hand on the counter.

"Ow," Bo said, wincing at the noise.

"I don't care that it was just one kiss, it didn't mean _nothing_! It –"

"Wait," Dyson said, cutting Kenzi off. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Bo asked.

"That face you just made. When Kenzi said 'I don't care that it was just one kiss,' you made a face. What was that?"

Bo tried to look innocent. "There was no face."

"There was a face. What was that?" Dyson answered.

Bo sighed. When it was clear the conversation wasn't going to move on until she answered, she said, "alright, _fine_. There may have been…more than one kiss, strictly speaking."

"Son of a _bitch_ , are you kidding me right now?" Kenzi spat. "How much more?"

* * *

"I don't know, maybe twenty minutes? I wasn't exactly timing it."

" _Oh my GOD_ ," Vex said. "This is…my mind is…when you have a crush on someone you really don't mess around, do you? Did you sleep together?"

"Of course not!" Lauren said, slapping Vex on the arm. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right, you're far too virtuous to sleep with someone who has a boyfriend. Much better to make out with her for a half hour in her place of employment."

"…alright, I guess you have a point," Lauren said, slumping back in her seat.

* * *

"I just, I don't even…what the _hell_ are you doing, Bo?!" Kenzi exclaimed.

Bo sighed. "Look, I don't know, alright? But I'm hung over, and I just broke up with Rainer, and can I _please_ have a pass for that, just for a little bit?"

"Are you and Lauren dating?" Dyson asked.

"No. Last night was just…I don't know, it was just something that happened."

"Have you talked to her about it?" Dyson pressed.

Bo looked at her watch again. "In the last four hours since I got off the phone with Rainer? No, I haven't talked to her about it."

* * *

"You have to call her, love," Vex said.

"I know. But I just…I don't want to burst the bubble yet. I know we aren't together. I mean, she isn't even single. And when we talk about it, it's going to be this whole regret thing, and pretending it didn't happen, and awkward, and I just…I just want to preserve it. Just for a little bit. I'll be an adult about it later. For now I just want…I just want to hold on to it for a little bit."

"Oh, sweetheart," Vex said, brushing the hair off of Lauren's face. "You're so fucked."

* * *

Your feedback ups my desire to write faster. Just sayin'.


	12. Chapter 12

Alright, everyone, truth time - I wrote the first chapter of this story in my head one day, and had zero plans for anything past that first chapter. But I'm having a good time writing it, and I hope everyone is having a good time reading it, so we're going to keep it going. I sat down and actually thought ahead today (shocking, I know) and I've formulated a plan for how things are going to go for the next little while. Hope everyone enjoys the ride. This is a nice break from the actual work that is staring at me right now. Anyone want to handle some cases for me?

Oh, and as always, I do not proofread these chapters. Like, not at all. Sorry about that. But not sorry enough to actually start proofreading.

Enjoy

* * *

" _Thanks for coming by."_

" _No problem."_

 _Lauren was lost, staring into Bo's dark eyes. It was the kind of stare that you fall into, that curls around you like water in a hot tub and pulls you deeper until you're in up to your neck and can't quite remember how you got there._ God, she's beautiful _, was the last thought Lauren had before she felt a hand on her neck pulling her into Bo._

 _Bo's lips hit hers hard, and Lauren's eyes fell closed instinctively. She drew a quick breath of surprise through her nose and instantaneously found herself flooded with the scent of Bo – the coffee, the leather, the warmth that seemed to come from her. Her mind and body were no longer her own. She felt her own hands grasp Bo's hips and pull her in._

 _Everything changed then. She felt Bo's tongue against hers and felt herself shivering, unconsciously drawing herself closer. Bo was heaven. She felt Bo's fingers skim her ear and the spark inside her raged into a fire. Lauren felt dizzy, drunk…wait, she was drunk. And she needed air. She and Bo pulled back, each breathing rapidly._

 _Bo looked into Lauren's eyes. Lauren's mind was only forming one word, over and over again._

 _More. More. More._

" _We're drunk." Bo's voice was soft, soothing._

" _Yes, we are." More, more, more._

 _Lauren pulled Bo back and felt the flames burn hotter. She could taste the beer on Bo's tongue, feel Bo's breasts pressed against her, feel Bo's arms coming around her ribs and her hands clutching at her back._

 _Laurens fingers tangled in Bo's hair, angling Bo's head to kiss her as deeply as she could. Lauren was vaguely aware of the edge of Bo's desk biting into the back of her legs, but she didn't care. As long as Bo stayed here, kissing her, she didn't care. The world could burn down around them. It didn't matter. This mattered. That was all._

 _She heard Bo moan softly, and it made her whimper. God, this woman was perfect. She was gorgeous, she was smart, she was brave, she cared about others, she protected her friends, she fought for what was right, and she was_ here _, with Lauren._

She has a boyfriend, _Lauren's mind chimed in._

 _Fuck that. Bo was with_ her _, not Rainer, right now. That was what mattered._

 _She knew it would end. But it hadn't ended yet. For that moment, it was enough._

 _She didn't know how long they stood there, but she did know that when they pulled away Bo's eyes looked almost black. She did know that when they pulled away, her only thought was_ leave now _, because she knew if this went on much longer they would go further. They had already gone too far._

 _More, more, more._

 _Lauren cleared her throat. "I should go."_

" _Don't." Bo said it so quickly, so automatically. Lauren's heart started pounding faster in her chest._

 _Lauren reached up and placed a hand on the side of Bo's face and gave her one last kiss – chaste, closed mouth, all she could manage at that moment without losing control._

 _Bo didn't say anything else, as Lauren gathered her bag and left._

Lauren's eyes opened slowly. A dream. It had just been a dream.

But it hadn't been, had it? The events of two nights prior came back to her, and she felt almost giddy. It was real, all of it. Bo had wanted _her_.

 _She has a boyfriend_. Dammit, why was that realization never farther away.

Lauren sighed and swung her legs out of bed, heading downstairs to make coffee. It didn't matter anyway. Vex had been right the other day – Lauren needed to be single. She needed to be just 'Lauren' for a bit, instead of 'Lauren the girlfriend.'

She thought of Bo again. Dammit, needing to be 'just Lauren' sucked.

It was a quiet Sunday morning, and Lauren looked around, surveying the cleaning she needed to finish before going back to work on Monday. She was mentally making a 'to-do' list when she heard her phone chirp with an incoming text message.

Bo. _Hey. How's your head?_

Such an innocuous message. Nothing exciting. _Chill out, Lewis. Stop acting like a teenager_.

 _Feels like I have fewer drummers practicing on my brain today. You?_

 _Lol. Same._

Lauren's thumb hesitated over the keypad, debating whether to send another message. What should she say? As she was thinking, another message came through from Bo.

 _Hey, would you have time to grab some coffee today?_

Lauren felt conflicted. Of course she wanted to see Bo. But, of course, seeing Bo would mean they would have to have the talk. She would have to feign regret over what had happened. Bo would explain that she really liked Lauren and everything, but they were just drunk, and if she was going to work through her issues she needed to give this thing with Rainer a real shot, and they could still be friends, right? Because she would hate to lose Lauren's friendship. And Lauren would say oh, of course, I feel the same way, I really hope we can stay friends. It was just a drunken mistake, anyway, and it didn't _mean_ anything, and she would say all the right words while quietly dying inside.

She sighed and texted back. _Sure. What time?_

* * *

Lauren stood in line at the coffee shop, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. This was going to suck. She partially regretted agreeing to the meeting. If she had just said she was busy she could have delayed this for at least another day or so. Or maybe they could have done it over the phone, so Lauren didn't have to look into Bo's eyes while they agreed that this was just a mistake. That would have at least made it easier.

She was lost in thought when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Bo standing behind her, smiling.

 _Fuck, why does she have to look that good?_

"You look lost in thought, Doctor," Bo said, playfully.

Lauren smiled. "Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking of this patient."

"What can I get for you?" the bored looking girl behind the register asked.

Bo and Lauren placed their orders and waited, making small talk. When the drinks were prepared, they found a table in the corner and sat down. They both fell quiet.

 _Rip off the Band-Aid_ , Lauren thought.

"Look, Bo, about the other night –"

"I broke up with Rainer," Bo said, cutting Lauren off.

Lauren sat silently, stunned. "What?"

Bo cleared her throat. "We broke up."

"When?"

"After you left, I walked around for a bit and thought about things, and then I went home and called him," Bo answered. She picked up her coffee and took a drink.

 _Well, this is not going at all like I expected._ "Oh. I'm…sorry?" Lauren tried to keep it from sounding like a question, but immediately knew she failed.

Bo laughed lightly. "You're sorry?"

Lauren smiled slightly. "Well, I mean…"

"We kissed, Lauren."

Now it was Lauren's turn to clear her throat. "Yeah, I, uh, remember."

"It was incredible." Bo looked down, her fingers picking at the seam on the jacket of her cup. "I mean, my God, I've been dating Rainer for _two years_. Two years! And it's been a shitty relationship for roughly a year and eleven months. But I didn't break up with him during any of that time, I didn't move on, I kept trying to make it work. And then I kiss you, and…" Bo shrugged. "There were a lot of reasons to do it. I _needed_ to do it. And talking to you the other night, it helped me realize that it was time. But you know what? If I hadn't kissed you, I don't know that I would have. Not then, anyway."

Lauren's heart was pounding. What was she supposed to say to that?

Bo sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn't…sorry. Actually, that's what I came here to say today – I'm sorry. Sorry I dragged you into my drama, sorry I kissed you –"

"I'm not sorry."

Bo paused, looking at Lauren.

"You're right. It was amazing." Bo started to smile and Lauren felt warmth spreading through her chest. "And, if we're being honest, I think we can both admit that it wasn't just you who kissed me."

Bo nodded. "That's fair."

They both sat quietly for a few moments, thinking.

"So, where does that leave us now?" Bo asked.

Nothing about this conversation was progressing the way Lauren had prepared for in her mind. Might as well just roll with it, right? "I like you, Bo. I _really_ like you. And the other night…well, I think we've covered how we both felt about that. But –"

"But you just got out of a five year relationship."

"And you just got out of a long one yourself."

"So we, what, pretend it didn't happen?" Bo asked. "Because, in the spirit of full disclosure, Kenzi and Dyson already know."

"So does Vex."

"We are not good at keeping secrets."

Lauren laughed. "How about this – why don't we just focus on being friends for now. Get some distance from Nadia and Rainer, just relax a little." As she said the words, Lauren was mildly surprised with herself. Was she really suggesting the option she had been dreading on the way in?

"Friends," Bo said with a nod. "Okay. I can do that." There was a slight note of disappointment in her voice that made Lauren quietly happy.

"I wasn't lying before, Bo. I do really like you. That's why I don't want to screw this up."

Bo's face brightened slightly. "So friends…but maybe not just friends forever."

Lauren smiled. "No. Not forever."

* * *

Bo and Lauren continued drinking and coffee and talking into the afternoon. By the time they realized how long they'd been together, almost three hours had passed.

"Good Lord, it's easy to lose track of time around you," Bo commented off handedly. Lauren felt a smile threatening at the corner of her lips.

They stood up and gathered their trash, and after throwing everything away they headed outside. The November air was crisp and made Lauren feel invigorated, happy. She had always loved this time of year.

"Thanks for meeting me," Bo said.

Lauren laughed. "Thanks for asking me."

Bo smiled. "So, what now…do we hug, or -?"

"I think friends hug."

Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren, and Lauren felt herself sinking. _Just friends_ , she reminded herself. _Your idea._

She turned her head slightly so she was turned toward Bo and took a breath. She felt Bo turn her head as well, and before she was completely sure what was happening she felt Bo's lips against hers, and she felt all of the mysteries of the universe dropping into place.

Too quickly Lauren came back to her senses, and stepped back. "Sorry," she said.

"God, you're good at that," Bo said under her breath.

Despite the intensity of a moment before, Lauren laughed. "Friends," Lauren reminded her.

"Friends," Bo agreed.

They bid their goodbyes and left.

 _I can do this_ , Lauren thought. _I can get to know her. I can spend time getting to know who I am without a girlfriend. We can be friends. Yeah, I need to stop randomly kissing her, but whatever, I can do that. We can make this work. We can be just friends, right?_

 _Right._

* * *

Feedback is always welcome


	13. Chapter 13

Another short one, Bo's POV, kind of a hang out chapter.

Also, fun fact - I am a criminal prosecutor, and the cases Bo talks about in this chapter are actual ones I had. I wish I was kidding.

Enjoy.

* * *

Bo dropped the report she was reading onto her desk and rubbed her hands down her face. She needed to focus. She looked at the time – 4:17p. She wasn't supposed to meet her friends for another three hours. _Alright, here we go_ , she said to herself. _Focus on this report, get through it, power through the next couple of hours and you get to leave and give your brain a rest_.

She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. Okay, time to focus. And maybe time for some more coffee. She momentarily contemplated getting another cup and heard Lauren's voice chastising her in her head. Shrugging it off, she stood from her chair and made her way to the coffeepot.

Three hours. Just three more hours until the weekend, until dinner with her friends, until she got to see Lauren. _Who is also my friend_ , she corrected herself. Yes, three hours until she saw all of her friends, which included but was not limited to, Lauren.

Just friends. They were just friends. Part of Bo wished they were more, but honestly a bigger part of her knew Lauren had been right – they both did need to be single for a while. After the mess that had been Rainer, she needed to reset. This was good. This was healthy.

But being just friends didn't mean that she didn't occasionally think about Lauren in a decidedly 'not-just-friends' context. Often these thoughts came to her when – like now – she walked into her office and looked at the desk, her mind immediately dragging itself back to Halloween when she had held Lauren, smelled Lauren, kissed Lauren, been drunk on Lauren…

She took a deep breath to dispel the memory, took a sip of her coffee, and sat down. Out of habit she grabbed her phone and hit the home button to check for messages. Nothing appeared on the screen, but as she went to put it down in buzzed in her hand with an incoming text.

Lauren, in the group message. _Hey everyone, don't think I can come out tonight. Have a good time._

Bo felt herself deflate. Well, this was a disappointing turn of events.

Vex: _Unacceptable._

Ciara: _Everything alright?_

Lauren: _Yeah, just can't make it tonight. Sorry._

Bo opened a new message to Lauren. _Hey, what's up?_

Lauren texted back. _Long day._

Before Bo could answer, Lauren texted again. _How's your day going?_

 _Case prep, reading reports, nothing exciting._

 _Any good cases?_

 _I have a report about a man ejaculating onto his ex-girlfriend's screen door. Also one about a man ejaculating onto his ex-girlfriend's car. And, no, it is not the same man in both cases._

 _Classy._

 _Quite._ _So you really aren't up for a night out?_

 _I just don't know that I would be great company tonight._

 _I always enjoy your company._ After pressing send, Bo wondered if that comment was a step too far. The second between pressing send and Lauren's answer seemed to stretch longer than normal.

 _I like seeing you, too. But I'm not up for the whole party vibe tonight._

Bo contemplated her next message before deciding, screw it, the worst she'll say is no. _I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I'm amazing at ordering Chinese food. Would you be in the mood to watch a bad movie?_

 _You have plans tonight._

 _I have plans to spend time with my friends. We're friends._

 _Are you sure?_

Bo smiled to herself. _Can you come over around 8?_

* * *

"So, let me see if I have this right. You aren't coming out with us tonight," Kenzi said, standing in Bo's bedroom doorway. "Instead, you're going to Netflix and chill with Lauren."

"It's not Netflix and chill. It's Netflix and…relax."

"Have you kids updated that expression already?"

"We're just friends, Kenzi, I told you that."

"Right. You're just friends."

"Exactly," Bo said, tossing a shirt onto her bed. "She had a bad day, so I'm doing what a friend does and just chilling out with her for a night."

"Netflix and chilling," Kenzi mumbled.

" _Kenz._ Seriously."

Kenzi put her hands up. "Alright, whatever, you know what you're doing, I guess. I'm just saying that you might be saying you're just friends, but this? This thing where you drop your plans because she's too tired to go out? That's what you do with a girlfriend."

"We aren't dating."

"Sure."

Bo stopped going through her clothes and turned to Kenzi. "We aren't dating. But…I don't know, we _are_ friends, and I was looking forward to seeing her, and I've had a long week, too, so a night in just seemed nice. Can we just leave it?"

Kenzi sighed. "Alright, alright, fine. You're right. You're just friends."

"Exactly."

"Just like I'm just friends with Nate."

" _Kenzi…_ "

"Naked friends."

"Alright, get out," Bo said.

* * *

"So he just shows up and masturbates onto her door?"

"I guess he thought it was the best way to communicate how he felt about her," Bo answered with a laugh.

Bo took a sip of the wine Lauren had brought with her and sat the glass back down on the end table to her left. Lauren was reclined at the other end of the couch, her legs across Bo's lap, and Bo was laying with her feet on the coffee table next to the mostly empty Chinese takeout containers. The movie continued to play, ignored.

"So what happened today?" Bo asked.

Lauren sighed and took a drink of her wine. "I had a patient die today. She was in her 90s, her health has been declining for a while now so it wasn't a surprise, but…I don't know, it just got to me."

Bo nodded, listening. "Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know. I guess it was just because…she was alone, you know? No one was with her. The nurses weren't in her room when it happened, no family has been there to see her. She was just…alone."

Bo took in this thought quietly, her hand unconsciously trailing over Lauren's shin.

"In weird way, I'm used to it, I guess. People die. Usually I'm fine with it. I mean, not _fine_ , but I can deal with it, you know?"

Bo nodded. "I get that."

Lauren nodded. "Yeah, you do. It's like what you do – you get used to the worst case scenario. People die, or people are victims, and, you know, you just handle it. But some days it's just hard to handle."

Bo smiled. "So she was your Greg today?"

Lauren smiled back. "Yeah, I guess so. She was my Greg today." Lauren was quiet for a few moments. "Hey."

Bo looked over at Lauren. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Bo smiled. "For what?"

"For…this. For doing all this, for cancelling your plans, for spending your whole Friday night with bad Chinese food and –"

"Hey, I _liked_ the food – sure, Golden Garden may have a health inspector rating of D –"

"Wait, what?"

"—but it's my absolute favorite Chinese place!"

"Go back to the health inspector thing?"

"I mean, did you even _try_ the egg rolls?"

"Are we about to get sick? Do I need to make myself throw up?"

"I think the rating might be a D+ if that helps you."

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to throw up…"

Bo laughed and held her hands against Lauren's legs to prevent her from standing up. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Lauren looked relieved. "Thank God."

"They got an F."

Lauren was off the couch before Bo could stop her, leaving Bo laughing in the living room.

* * *

When Kenzi and Nate walked into the apartment it was dark aside from the glow of the TV reflecting on Bo and Lauren, who were both asleep on the couch. Kenzi looked at the pair and shook her head. Lauren was angled with her legs tucked under her, falling off to the side against Bo, who had her legs on top of the coffee table and her face turned toward the top of Lauren's head, which was against Bo's shoulder.

"Friends my ass," Kenzi whispered.

"At least they're both still wearing pants," Nate commented.

Kenzi walked over and grabbed the blanket that was folded across the back of the chair beside the couch and spread it over Bo and Lauren.

"They do make a cute couple," Nate said, walking up behind Kenzi and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Kenzi shook her head. "I see another intervention looming on the horizon," Kenzi answered.

Nate kissed the back of Kenzi's head. "Before you do that, can we go be 'just friends' upstairs?"

Kenzi smiled, turning in Nate's arms, and gave him a firm kiss. "Absolutely," she answered.

"To be clear, I wasn't planning on wearing pants."

Kenzi laughed, clapping her hand over her mouth to be quiet as she and Nate went upstairs to bed.

* * *

I welcome your thoughts


	14. Chapter 14

Hey, everyone. This chapter is a Lauren POV, longer than the last. Thanks for all of your amazing reviews - the response to this story so far has been great. To the reviewer who asked me why there is no Trick or Hale in this story - the site wasn't giving me an option of replying to you, so I'll tell you (and everyone) - I am relatively new to Lost Girl, I just found it on Netflix a few months ago. I've watched it, but I wasn't always paying a ton of attention, and I just didn't feel like I had much of a handle on Trick or Hale's voices (or some others, evidenced by how little they have done in this story lol). I may end up writing more for Lost Girl, who knows, and maybe by then I'll feel more comfortable adding those characters.

Also, to the question of whether I have Twitter - no, sorry, I'm a Luddite and the last person in the world to have no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or really any other social media account. Except for my husband, who also has no social media. I guess that explains why we work so well together, lol.

Enjoy

* * *

Lauren woke up with a crick in her neck and a sore back. Her brain felt foggy. Why was she in this weird position? She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, feeling the night before coming back to her. She was at Bo's. The Chinese food containers had been cleaned up, the movie was off, and sunlight was filtering through the windows. She sat up, stretching out her locked muscles. As she moved the blanket that was over her fell off of her arms, and she vaguely realized she didn't know when she had been put under it. Bo was nowhere to be seen.

She took a deep breath and caught the unmistakable scent of coffee. Standing, she turned her head to the kitchen and saw the coffeepot sitting full with an empty mug beside it, and note lying on the counter. She walked over and saw Lauren written on the folded piece of paper. She lifted the note and read it.

 _Lo,_

 _Sorry to leave before you're up, I got a call from work. Help yourself to the coffee, milk in the fridge, sorry we only have 2% and not whole._

 _I had fun last night. Hopefully I'll be home before you read this, but if not, I'll call you later._

 _Bo_

Lauren re-read the note and smiled, trying to remember when Bo had started calling her by Vex's nickname for her. There was really nothing special about what Bo had said, but it made her happy. It was the tiny details of it – the fact that Bo knew she put whole milk in her coffee instead of 2%. The fact she hadn't said anything about sugar because she knew Lauren didn't use it.

She was still holding the note when she heard someone walk into the kitchen behind her. She turned and saw it was Kenzi.

"Morning," Kenzi mumbled, pulling a mug out of the cabinet.

"Hi," Lauren said, feeling awkward.

Kenzi poured her coffee and took a sip of it black. "Ugh, needs sugar." She turned to Lauren. "So, how was your night?"

"Great. Good. It was good to just relax." Lauren felt awkward, not knowing how to respond.

Kenzi grabbed the sugar and put a generous amount in her cup. She stirred it in and turned back to Lauren. "Relax, Doctor, I won't bite."

Lauren smiled. "Okay. Sorry."

"So what are your intentions with Bo?"

Lauren froze lifting her mug to her lips.

Kenzi held her stare for a moment and laughed. "Sorry, that was mean. I'm just messing with you. But, seriously, sorry you and Bo didn't come out last night, it was fun."

"Yeah, that was my fault, I just had kind of a bad day. I don't think I would have been good company."

Kenzi nodded. "Fair enough. Bo said she'd had a long week, too."

Lauren nodded, drinking her coffee.

"You two seem to be getting close."

"Yeah, I guess so. Bo's a great person."

"Yeah," Kenzi agreed. "She is." They were quiet for a moment, drinking their coffee, and then Kenzi continued. "I grew up with Bo. I know her really well."

"Yeah, she mentioned that, that you two are like sisters."

"We are. We're just like sisters. And just like sister's, I see the good parts of Bo and the bad parts."

Lauren hesitated. "What?"

Kenzi sighed. "Look, I'm going to level with you, because I like you, but if you tell Bo I said any of this, I'll tell her you're lying. Bo has a thing for you. I think we can agree that we're aware of that. And I've known Bo since, well, since forever, and I've seen her in every relationship she's ever been in, and let me tell you, girl is bad at them. In fact, I can't really think of anyone she's ever dated that I thought was good for her, or good enough for her. But you…I don't know, I have a good feeling about you."

"Um…okay?"

"Look, I know this is way out of line or whatever, and she told me you guys are just friends, and whatever, I actually think that might be smart for now. But I know Bo. And I see how she is with you. I guess I'm just saying…be patient with her, okay? Because…I think you might be good for her."

Lauren was quiet, unsure of how to respond. She was touched by what Kenzi said, and more than slightly surprised that it was Kenzi who was saying it – she liked Kenzi, but Kenzi didn't seem like the type of person to have this kind of a real conversation. After the pause stretched for a few beats, Lauren answered. "I care about Bo, too. I don't think either one of us needs to jump into something serious, at least not right now. But if at some point that changes…I promise I'll never intentionally hurt her."

Kenzi nodded. "I believe you."

"And…thank you. For saying you think I might be good for her. I know that she's your sister, and I know what you saying something like that means."

Kenzi nodded again and smiled. "Hey, you got her to get rid of Rainer. I probably owe you a steak dinner or something."

Lauren laughed, lightly. "I don't know that I get all the credit for that."

"Well, two years of her closest friends in the world telling her to dump him had no effect. You got it done in a matter of months. Take the credit." Kenzi lifted her mug in a 'cheers' gesture.

Nate walked down the stairs. "Morning, everybody," he said, walking to the refrigerator and grabbing the orange juice.

"Hey, Nate," Lauren said.

"What are we talking about?" he asked.

"Bo and Lauren," Kenzi answered, taking a sip of coffee.

"Nice, are you two dating now?"

Lauren almost choked on her coffee. "What? No…"

"Oh, cool," Nate said, drinking his juice. "Well, regardless, we should probably be thanking you for getting her away from Kevin."

"Amen," Kenzi echoed.

"Babe, do have eggs?" Nate asked, looking back in the fridge. "Oh, wait, here they are. Lauren, do you want scrambled eggs?"

Before Lauren could answer, the door opened and Bo walked in. "Morning, everyone," Bo said, dropping a box of donuts onto the counter.

"If you didn't get chocolate glazed we aren't friends," Kenzi said, making a beeline for the box. "Ah…I love you," Kenzi said when she looked inside.

Bo turned to Lauren. "I didn't know what kind you liked, so I got a little bit of everything."

Lauren smiled. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I had to feed the children anyway," she said, giving a vague wave at Nate and Kenzi who were both happily eating donuts. "I'm glad I caught you before you left. Sorry I had to run out."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a search warrant thing, I couldn't get the information to pull up on my phone so I had to go by the office for a little bit." Bo snagged the box of donuts, ignoring the protests of Kenzi, and handed it to Lauren. "Help yourself, please, I got way too many."

Lauren took a donut and bit in.

"So, what did I miss?" Bo asked, looking around the room.

"I was asking Lauren if she had botulism from the Golden Garden food you made her eat last night," Kenzi said.

"They're getting better!" Bo protested.

"Dude, Golden Garden? That place sucks. China Chef is way better," Nate said.

As Nate and Bo continued their back and forth over Chinese food, Lauren looked at Kenzi, who gave her a knowing smirk. Lauren got it – their earlier conversation was going to just stay between them. Lauren returned her attention to Bo, listening to her playfully argue with Nate, and she smiled.

Kenzi thought Lauren was good for Bo. Kenzi, who knew Bo better than just about anyone in the world, thought Lauren would be good with her. It was a small thing, not really a thing at all, but it still made Lauren quietly happy.

Lauren picked up her donut and took another bite.

* * *

The weeks passed without event. Lauren continued to lose herself in her work, spending time with the gang whenever time allowed. She found herself beginning to really enjoy her new environment. Despite the way things had started when she moved here, she found herself settled into a comfortable routine. It also helped that, thanks largely to Vex, she had a nice established group of friends. She had slowly gotten to know everyone better, and although she generally called Vex and Bo first when she wanted something to do, she had found herself at various times with Ciara, and Dyson, and Tamsin, and she was happy to note that she got along well with all of them. Even Tamsin and Kenzi seemed more like friends to her now, despite the differences in their personalities. All in all, Lauren was happy.

Nadia called Lauren around Thanksgiving, to catch up and to talk. It had been awkward at first, but a part of Lauren truly did miss Nadia. They had been through a lot together. A few minutes into their call they had fallen back into their old easy rhythm. By the time the call had ended, they were talking like old friends.

Things were good.

On a rainy Monday in mid-December, Lauren headed to the Dal to have a quick dinner and to catch up with her friends. Vex had agreed to meet her, as she hadn't seen most of the gang in about a week or more, and he had told her that Dyson and Kenzi would be working, meaning Ciara and Nate were likely to be there as well.

Lauren arrived at the Dal around 6:30 and found Vex waiting for her in a booth. She walked up to say her hellos to Dyson and Kenzi and ordered a drink before joining him in the back.

"My darling, you're radiant, as always," he said, kissing her cheeks.

Lauren glanced around the bar and noted that it was about half full. "Bigger crowd than usual for a Monday," she commented.

Vex took a drink and waved his hand toward a television. "Some football nonsense. Though even I must admit that watching them run in those spandex pants is entertaining."

Lauren snagged a pretzel from the bowl in front of Vex. "I don't think that's why most people are here."

"Why else would anyone watch this drivel?"

Lauren shrugged and smiled. They made small talk, catching each other up on what had been going on in their lives. A few minutes later Kenzi walked over and took their order, and they sat back, waiting for their food.

"So, love, time to get down to the real reason I asked you out tonight," Vex said, taking a sip of his drink.

"The real reason? I thought you just wanted to get dinner."

"How long has it been since you broke up with Nadia?"

Lauren hesitated. "A few months. Why?"

"Because a few months of celibacy for someone as gorgeous as you is a crime."

Lauren laughed. "Weren't you the one who advised against me getting into another relationship?"

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Vex asked, with a wink.

Lauren's thoughts pulled to Bo. "I don't know, Vex, I've never been the one night stand type of girl."

"One of your few failings," Vex said with a nod. "But, darling, it's been three months. You need to rebound. And, lucky for you, I've found just the girl."

"I don't think so, Vex," Lauren answered, taking another sip of her drink.

Vex put his glass down and reached out, covering Lauren's hands with his own. "What are you always telling me about relationships, Lo?"

"That you need to stop playing around, be a grown up, and settle down with a nice boy?"

"Exactly. And the opposite is true for you." Vex picked up his drink and took another sip with a grin.

Lauren sighed. Before she could answer, the door of the bar swung open and she saw Bo walk in. Bo didn't see her however, making a beeline for the bar. She seemed tense, angry. Lauren was curious as to why for a moment, and then she saw who was trailing behind her.

Rainer.

Bo grabbed a bottle and poured it into a shot glass. She then threw it back and firmly put the glass on the counter.

"Go home, Rainer," she spat.

"I want to talk to you."

Kenzi walked over to Lauren and Vex, carrying their food.

"Good Lord, why is he here?" Kenzi said as she sat their plates down.

"This could be entertaining," Vex said, settling back in his seat to watch the show.

"I told you I'm not doing this," Bo said, washing out the shot glass. "Go home."

"Five minutes. You at least owe me five minutes!"

"I don't owe you anything," Bo answered. Lauren noticed the tension in Bo's shoulders, and could see that Bo was trying very hard not to snap.

Kevin put his hand on Bo's arm lightly, and she jerked back at the contact. He put his hands in the air. "Five minutes. Five minutes, and I'm gone." It was clear that Bo wasn't the only one who was angry.

Bo glanced around the bar, noting how many people were there, clearly weighing whether it would be better to just talk to him and avoid making a further scene. Her eyes didn't make it to Lauren before she answered, "fine. Five minutes."

They walked to the back office.

Kenzi sighed deeply. "I swear to God, if she gets back together with him, I'm moving out." She turned and walked back toward the kitchen.

Lauren felt tense, rigid. From the back office she could hear voices, but other than knowing they were speaking at a high volume, she couldn't make out what they were saying. She turned her attention back to Vex, who was looking at her.

He sighed. "Alright, love, I understand your predicament. I'm just saying you need to rebound. You need some no strings attached fun. Unless you want to be attached to strings, in which case, you do what you need to do, but all I'm saying is a couple of fun and easy dates may take your mind off of –" he waved his hand toward the office door "—that."

Lauren sighed. He was right, and wasn't that annoying? The truth was she didn't even know if Bo was going to be single when she walked out of the back office. And as much as she wanted to date Bo, she knew that getting involved in an intense relationship with her now was a mistake for both of them.

She drew in another breath. "Okay. Fine. I give. One date, one meaningless date. Okay?"

"Ta," Vex said, with a grin.

They began eating their food, and after a few minutes the voices in the back died down. Lauren and Vex waited and a soon they saw Kevin stalk out of the back, ignore everyone, and leave. A few minutes passed before Bo also walked out, looking exhausted. She walked over to Kenzi and said something before turning and walking upstairs to their apartment, never seeing Lauren.

When Vex and Lauren were done eating, Kenzi walked back over to clear their plates.

"So, what happened?" Vex asked. "Is Rainer back?"

"Actually, no," Kenzi said. "I guess something helped her realize that she needed to move on." Kenzi grabbed Lauren's plate as she said it, sneaking Lauren a small smile.

When Kenzi had walked away, Vex looked at Lauren. "You look conflicted," he said, quietly.

"I want to make sure she's alright. But I don't feel like I should go up there."

Vex sighed. "Alright, listen. You two decided to be friends, so if you want to go, go. But please promise me you'll still go on this date. You _need_ this. Alright?"

Lauren sighed and nodded. She grabbed some cash out of her wallet and left it on the table, bidding her goodbyes to Vex, and headed upstairs.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she realized she didn't know exactly what to say. She just knew she wanted to talk to Bo. She hesitated a moment longer, then knocked.

Bo came to the door, and when she saw Lauren, she started to smile slightly, though she still looked tired. "Hey, what's up? Come in," she said, stepping to the side.

"Hey, I won't stay long," Lauren said, stepping in but staying the entryway. "I just wanted to see if you were…you know, alright?"

Bo looked puzzled for a moment and then understanding dawned on her face. "I didn't see you downstairs."

"You were preoccupied," Lauren said with a shrug. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he just needed to…yell a little, I guess."

Lauren nodded. "I still say he's a dick."

Bo laughed, and the sound made Lauren feel lighter. "Yeah, maybe, but he isn't entirely wrong," she commented.

"Hey, there is something else that I need to talk to you about," Lauren said, cautiously.

Bo looked at her without saying anything.

"Vex…he kind of wants to set me up with someone."

"Oh."

"And I mean…I don't know, I guess I just wanted to check in with you…" Lauren started immediately regretting bringing this up. What was she doing, asking permission? And right after Bo had dealt with Rainer? "Sorry, never mind…I don't know why I'm bringing this up."

"Are you ready to start dating again?"

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know. No. Probably not. But Vex seems to think I need to have, I don't know, a rebound, or whatever."

Bo nodded. "A rebound."

"Yeah. So I don't screw things up when –" Lauren caught herself before she could say _when we start dating_ and corrected, "—the next time I want a relationship."

"I get that." Bo's voice was soft. She wasn't looking Lauren in the eye.

Lauren let a beat of quiet pass, and in her mind she saw herself reaching for Bo, drawing her in slowly, and kissing her. She imagined how Bo would feel against her, how the kiss would be slow, languid, intoxicating.

Lauren snapped herself back to the moment. _Ask me not to_ , she thought to herself. _Ask me not to date anyone else. Ask me to wait._ Bo said nothing, and now it was Lauren's turn to sigh. "I don't have to do this. I can tell Vex no." _Ask me to tell him no._

"I think you should do it."

Lauren felt herself deflate. "You do?"

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Vex is right. This could be good for you."

"Sure, I mean, I guess."

"Do it. Seriously. I'm really happy you're getting back out there. You should be with someone great. Who knows? Maybe this girl Vex knows will be perfect for you."

Lauren's head was spinning. "Yeah, I don't know, maybe." They stood awkwardly in entryway a moment longer. "Well, uh, I guess I better go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Bo nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

Lauren gave her a tight lipped smile and turned to leave, but before she could, Bo reached out and wrapped her in hug. Bo's arms were tight around her, and Lauren found herself instinctively hugging her back, closing her eyes, and leaning into Bo.

After a few moments, Bo stepped back. They bid their goodbyes, and Lauren walked out, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

Yeah, kind of a bummer ending. Stick with me. As always, your feedback is welcome


	15. Chapter 15

Longer chapter, maybe the longest, Bo's POV, some bad language. If anyone out there is team Rainer - first, why are you reading this? And second...he may not come off all that great in this chapter. Or maybe your on his side in this. I don't know your life.

I know some people weren't totally on board with how the last chapter ended. Hopefully this one gives some clarity. I'm trying to keep this somewhat reality based, so you can feel free to let me know how you think that is going. I'm always happy to discuss my approach to these characters, and why I have them doing the things they are doing.

Not proofread. That's something that other, better authors do, lol

Enjoy

* * *

Bo stood in line, waiting to place her order. It was 12:30 on a Monday, and the restaurant she had come to for lunch was packed. She glanced at her watch – she didn't have court this afternoon, so it didn't really matter if she made it back in time, but it was a habit. Her eyes scanned over the menu again as she waited to order.

She finally made it to the front of the line, placed her order, paid, and waited. When her food was handed to her, she carefully maneuvered her way back to the table where Tamsin was waiting for her.

"This place is a zoo," she commented, sitting down.

"It's always like this," Tamsin said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "But it's only because the food is amazing."

Bo took a bite of her sandwich. "Dear God, you're right. Why have I never come here before?"

"Because the line is always crazy long?" Tamsin offered.

"Accurate," Bo said, nodding. "This really is amazing."

Tamsin took another bite and snagged Bo's phone off the table. "You missed a call while you were ordering," she commented.

Bo hesitated for a second and tried to hide it. "Oh, probably just something from work. I'll deal with it later."

"Sure, sure," Tamsin said. They ate for another few moments. "Alright, cut the shit," Tamsin said, wiping her mouth and dropping the napkin. "We both know I saw who was calling."

Bo sighed.

"And we both know that after I saw who was calling, I unlocked your phone and checked your call history."

"You did what?"

"And your texts."

" _Tamsin!_ "

Tamsin shrugged. "So, what's the deal? Why is he calling? I thought we were done with him."

"We are. He's just having a hard time accepting it, I guess."

"Have you been talking to him?"

"No. That's probably why he's still calling."

"Rainer never was good at reading the room," Tamsin commented. "So, what now? Are you going to call him?"

Bo shrugged. "I guess at some point I have to. I've just been putting it off."

"Why?"

Bo sighed. "I don't know. I just haven't felt like dealing with him."

"And your track record of staying broken up with him hasn't been stellar," Tamsin commented.

Bo started to protest, and then stopped, realizing she didn't have a viable argument. "Yeah, true."

"Are you going to get back with him?" Tamsin asked, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"No."

"So call him."

"I will."

"Hooked up with Lauren yet?"

Bo coughed halfway through the sip she was taking. "What?"

"Dude, it's me. I'm not an idiot. Cut the shit."

"You use that phrase entirely too much."

"Maybe you can fool some of the others, but I notice. You get all googly eyed with her. It's gross. So, have you sealed the deal yet?"

"Lauren and I are just friends."

"So, not yet."

Bo sighed. "No."

Tamsin took another sip. "Look, do whatever you want. I think Rainer is a douche, but it's your life. I'm just saying if you're really done with him, call him, because based on your call history he's not going to _oh my GOD, is he calling again right now?_ "

Bo looked at her phone and saw that it was, indeed, vibrating and displaying 'Rainer' across the screen.

"He's needy as fuck," Tamsin said under her breath.

"Language, we are in public," Bo chastised.

"Please just answer him so he doesn't interrupt my lunch anymore."

Bo hit the volume button the side of the phone, ending the vibrations. "I'll deal with him later."

They ate for a few more minutes. A text came through to Bo's phone. Rainer. Tamsin cut her a look, and Bo turned the phone off entirely, dropping it into her bag.

"What if your work calls you?"

"I'll be back soon enough. The world can survive without me for a little bit."

"Oh, speaking of being as needy as fuck –"

" _Tamsin!_ "

"—I told this girl we were dating. So, if she shows up at the bar and tries to kick your ass…you know, try to fight clean."

"…what?"

Tamsin shrugged. "She's clingy, alright? Telling her she was the other woman was the only way I knew to get rid of her. She thinks we've been dating for about 18 months, so, you know, just roll with that."

"I thought I told you to stop doing this."

"It's not my fault they fall in love with me," Tamsin said, taking another bite.

"Didn't you promise me that Vex was your fake boyfriend now? I thought my rotation was done."

"The last time I used Vex he told the girl that he would step aside so we could be together."

"Damn, I should have thought of that…"

"Last time, I swear," Tamsin said.

Bo gave her a withering look. "Really?"

"…last time this week?" Tamsin amended.

Bo just sighed.

* * *

At 5:30p, Bo shut down her computer and took a deep breath. For the first time in a long time, she was done at the close of business. Her office was remotely organized, her files were more or less up to date – there were still things that she could spend time doing, of course, but for the day she had accomplished more than she had expected to.

As a result, she realized, she didn't have much of an excuse to put off calling Rainer. She sighed. She knew she needed to be an adult and get this over with. Tamsin was right – he wasn't going to stop calling. She had strung him along for two years. She couldn't expect him to accept they were broken up at this point, given their history of getting back together.

She pulled out her phone and texted Rainer. _You want to talk. Let's talk._ She quietly hoped it was a bad time and that he wouldn't answer. She started gathering her things.

 _In person?_

She sighed again. _You dated him for two years_ she reminded herself. She rolled her shoulders and texted back. _Okay, fine. I'll meet you for coffee in 20._

* * *

Thirty minutes later Bo walked into the coffee shop near her office. She didn't come to this coffee house very often, despite its proximity to her work. _Well, at least if I embarrass myself here I don't have to worry about finding a new place_ she thought.

Rainer was waiting for her at a table in the back when she entered. It was drizzling, and she shook the rain off her jacket as she approached the table.

"You're late," he commented as she sat down.

Bo rolled her eyes. "Really? We're starting there?" She sighed. "Sorry I'm late."

Rainer fiddled with the lid on his cup. "Sorry, you're right. I shouldn't have started that way. I'm on edge, I guess."

Bo nodded. "So. You wanted to talk?"

Rainer sighed. "You've been ignoring me. Again."

Bo nodded. "Yes, I have."

Rainer looked mildly surprised. "You've never admitted it before," he commented.

Bo shrugged. "What can I say, I guess I've grown."

Rainer ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I don't know…I don't know how to do this. Can we just put this insanity behind us? Please? I get it – you need me to back off. You aren't someone who thinks about the future, about making plans, and forever…and I'm okay with that. I can be okay with that. Just…let's just work through this. It's just a bad patch. We can do this."

Bo shook her head. "Rainer…"

"Do you love me?"

"Rainer…"

"I'm not trying to beg here, alright? Don't make me do this. I know I sound pathetic. I _am_ pathetic. But…I just need to hear you say it. I just need to know that we can get past this."

"We can't, Rainer." Bo dropped her hands from the table to her lap. "We aren't going to get past this. This isn't just a bad patch. This is us fundamentally disagreeing over the direction of our relationship. You shouldn't have to moderate how you feel to be with me. That's wrong. We aren't right together. We both need to move on."

Rainer seemed stunned. He was quiet for a few beats, and slowly his face started to change from shock to irritation. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"What?"

"That I proposed. Why didn't you tell your friends?"

Bo sighed deeply. "I don't want to do this. It doesn't matter now, anyway, does it? We aren't getting married, we aren't together. Let's just leave it."

"I didn't even mean enough to you for you to _tell_ them. You didn't even bring it up."

"No. I didn't."

"You never saw a future with me. The whole time. It was all just a game to you."

"It wasn't, Rainer. Honestly, it wasn't. I was trying. I wanted it to work. But we just…we weren't right. I know you think we were, but we weren't. It just took me a long time to finally realize it."

"What changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"What made you think we couldn't work it out?"

Bo hesitated, debating how to answer. "There was…I met someone else," she said, quietly.

Rainer sat back, clearly stunned. "Who?"

"Does it matter?"

"You cheated on me."

Bo took another deep breath, trying to choose her words carefully. "I kissed someone else, someone I've started having feelings for. It wasn't planned, it wasn't like I planned on trying to hurt you, but it happened, and it made me realize that you and I just…we just don't work, Rainer."

"Who is he?"

"Why does this matter?"

"I just want to know his name. Christ, you cheated on me with him, I should at least get to know his name."

"It's not a he," Bo answered.

Rainer paused. "What, so I ruined all men for you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Bo said without thinking, her irritation spilling over.

Rainer laughed low in his throat. "You're unbelievable. I don't believe this."

"We aren't good together," Bo noted.

"Maybe because you _slept with someone else!_ "

"I didn't sleep with her," Bo hissed. "Can you _please_ keep your voice down?"

"I want to yell a little bit, your highness," Rainer spat.

"Alright, whatever," Bo said, pushing up from the table. "I'm done." Bo walked out the door.

Rainer followed her outside. "No, no, you don't get to do that!" he said, loudly, when they were on the sidewalk. "You don't get to get up and walk away like you're the bigger person here! I was invested in this relationship for _two years!_ Two years, of trying to make this work, of falling in love with you, of putting up with your shit, of _asking you to marry me!_ You don't get to announce you cheated on me and walk out like you're superior!"

"I don't want to do this on the street."

"I'd ask you to come back inside, but you just stormed out."

"I'm done, Rainer. I'm not doing this. I don't want to fight with you. I'm _tired_ of dealing with you. This is a relationship that failed. Relationships fail all the time. Let it go."

"Let it go? Seriously? Two years together, and that's what you have to say to me?"

"Yes. That's what I say. Let it go."

Bo started to walk away when Rainer reached out to stop her. "Okay, wait, wait, wait. Stop. Just…come have a drink with me, alright? One drink. One drink and I'm gone."

"I don't want a drink, Rainer, I want to go home."

"Fine, one drink at the Dal then. That's all I'm asking of you."

"I don't want to talk to you!"

"No, I guess you want to head home so you can talk to _her_ , whoever she is."

"She is Lauren. And, yeah, I'd much rather talk to her, actually. She doesn't tend to yell at me on the street, which I enjoy."

"One drink. Five minutes. And then I'm out of the way."

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish in five minutes?" Bo asked. Before he could answer, Bo walked away. Rainer trailed after her.

* * *

Bo walked into the Dal, feeling like she wanted to start throwing things. Rainer was still coming behind her. She walked behind the bar, grabbed a bottle and poured a shot. She threw it back and firmly set the shot glass on the counter. There. One drink. "Go home, Rainer," she spat.

"I want to talk to you."

"I told you I'm not doing this," Bo said, washing out the shot glass. "Go home."

"Five minutes. You at least owe me five minutes!"

"I don't owe you anything," Bo answered.

Kevin put his hand on Bo's arm lightly, and she jerked back at the contact. He put his hands in the air. "Five minutes. Five minutes, and I'm gone." The anger was clear in his voice.

Bo glanced around the bar, noting how many people were there, weighing whether it would be better to just talk to him and avoid making a further scene. They had already done that on the street and in the coffeehouse. "Fine. Five minutes."

They walked to the back office.

Once inside, Bo closed the door and turned to Rainer. "You're on the clock. Say whatever it is and get out."

Rainer paused, gathering himself. Bo crossed her arms and waited. "Alright, look. I loved you. You clearly didn't love me." Bo made no move to correct his statement. "And you cheated on me. So I think I'm entitled to a few minutes of honesty and yelling. You _deserve_ yelling. You've been a bitch to me. You've shit all over me. And the whole time I just took it because, oh, you had some tragic childhood. Well, guess what, Bo? _A lot_ of people have bad childhoods. It doesn't give you a free pass to treat everyone around you like garbage.

"You want to know the truth? You didn't love me because you aren't _capable_. What, you think this Lauren is going to be any different? Just because, what, you felt something when you kissed her? You felt something for me, too, if you remember. It's a game to you, an amusement. You don't have what it takes to really care about another person, you only care about yourself."

"You're not a victim, Rainer! You're a guy who had a bad relationship!" Bo was shouting now, too.

" _You cheated on me!_ Don't act all fucking high and mighty! This wasn't a relationship that just didn't work out, this is a relationship you put no effort into before you _cheated on me!_ I don't know what your parents did to you, since God forbid you _let someone in_ enough to know what all this 'secret pain' shit you carry around is about, but they must have screwed you up pretty fucking bad. But, you know what? I don't care. I don't. I don't give a flying fuck, because in a way I _pity_ you, because this is all you will ever have, a string of bad breakups because you aren't capable of being a real girlfriend or being in a real relationship with anyone."

" _Get. Out._ "

"You think you get a free pass because your dad was a dick? _You don't._ You don't get to treat people like dirt because you were unhappy when you were little. Grow the fuck up."

"Your time is up. Get out."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to waste a few extra minutes with me when you could be hooking up with Laurie or whatever. Better get to that as soon as possible so you fuck up her life like you fucked up mine!"

"I didn't fuck up your life. You made your own choices."

"You're a vapid, shallow, selfish person. For your sake, I hope you grow up, but I'm not holding my breath."

"Lose my number. There's the door," Bo said, pointing.

Rainer stormed out, leaving Bo behind in the office.

She took a few minutes to try to get her breathing back under control, to try to calm herself down. She felt exhausted. When she felt more composed, she walked out of the office and approached Kenzi at the bar.

"I'm going upstairs," she said.

"Everything okay?" Kenzi asked.

"We aren't back together, don't worry," Bo said. "I'll see you later." She turned and went upstairs.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bo was in the apartment, trying to get her head back together. Rainer's voice was still in her head, echoing. She knew he hadn't been entirely wrong, which just made it all seem worse.

When had she become the person who got in fights with her ex-boyfriend in a bar? It sounded like something her mother would do. Not an appealing thought.

Her thoughts turned to Lauren, and she thought again about what Rainer had said. _You aren't capable of being a real girlfriend or being in a real relationship with anyone_. The evidence supported that statement, didn't it? She had spent her entire life desperately making sure she didn't need anyone, until, finally, she didn't. Wasn't it naïve to think that her potential relationship with Lauren could be different?

She was still thinking when a knock came to her door. She sighed, have expecting to find Rainer waiting for round three. She opened the door and saw Lauren, and almost felt herself involuntarily smile. "Hey, what's up? Come in," she said, stepping to the side.

"Hey, I won't stay long," Lauren said, stepping in but staying the entryway. "I just wanted to see if you were…you know, alright?"

Bo felt puzzled for a moment and then understanding dawned on her. Lauren must have been in the bar. She hadn't seen her. _Shit_. "I didn't see you downstairs."

"You were preoccupied," Lauren said with a shrug. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he just needed to…yell a little, I guess." Bo tried to play off how much the fight had affected her; she wasn't sure if it worked or not.

Lauren nodded. "I still say he's a dick."

Bo laughed. "Yeah, maybe, but he isn't entirely wrong," she commented.

"Hey, there is something else that I need to talk to you about," Lauren said, cautiously.

Bo looked at her without saying anything.

"Vex…he kind of wants to set me up with someone."

"Oh." The words registered with Bo like a punch to the gut.

"And I mean…I don't know, I guess I just wanted to check in with you…sorry, never mind…I don't know why I'm bringing this up."

"Are you ready to start dating again?"

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know. No. Probably not. But Vex seems to think I need to have, I don't know, a rebound, or whatever."

Bo nodded. "A rebound." Well, this sucked.

"Yeah. So I don't screw things up when – the next time I want a relationship."

"I get that." Bo's voice was soft. She wasn't looking Lauren in the eye.

Lauren let a beat of quiet pass, and the she sighed. "I don't have to do this. I can tell Vex no."

"I think you should do it." Bo said the words quickly, before she could stop herself.

"You do?"

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Vex is right. This could be good for you." Each word stung Bo, be she knew she needed to say them. Rainer had been right – she wasn't capable of having a relationship. Maybe she could eventually, but at least for now, he had been right. She felt raw, broken. And Lauren…as much as she wanted Lauren to say no to Vex's idea, Bo knew that it was right. Lauren had broken up with Nadia months ago, and the relationship had been far less damaging than Bo's relationship with Rainer. Lauren needed to put herself back out there, try dating again. She deserved that.

"Sure, I mean, I guess," Lauren said, sounding uncertain.

"Do it. Seriously. I'm really happy you're getting back out there. You should be with someone great. Who knows? Maybe this girl Vex knows will be perfect for you." _This is the worst night ever_ Bo thought, though she took quiet solace in the idea that, for once, she was doing the right thing.

"Yeah, I don't know, maybe." They stood awkwardly in entryway a moment longer. "Well, uh, I guess I better go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Bo nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

Lauren gave her a tight lipped smile and turned to leave, but before she could, Bo reached out and wrapped her in hug. She didn't want to let her go; somehow Bo felt that as soon as she released Lauren, she would be releasing her into the arms of someone else. _She deserves to be happy_ Bo reminded herself. _And you can't be what she needs right now. Let her go._

After a few moments, Bo stepped back. They bid their goodbyes, and Lauren walked out, closing the door softly behind her. Bo sagged back against the wall. She stood there for a few minutes longer, replaying the whole evening in her head. She looked at the clock – all this and it was only just after 7. She sighed deeply, and turned to go to bed.

* * *

I love to hear your thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

...wow, guys lol.

So, a few days back when I posted chapter 14 I got the sense from some of you that you weren't on board with the 'Lauren goes on a date' thing, and I was pretty sure it was because I hadn't done as good of a job as I had intended as far as setting things up. I decided to write chapter 15 the way I did because, although the Rainer/Bo argument was something I was planning to address later, I figured it would lend more clarity to the direction of things and the motivations of the characters.

And then the world went crazy lol

This chapter is fairly overt in explaining why the characters are where they are right now. I'm assuming that some people still won't be behind this, and that's fine, just hope this makes everyone get the angle I'm using in my approach.

As a side note, I woke up this morning to about 18 new reviews that aren't showing when I look on the site - for anyone who posted those, I'm not sure what the deal is but I guess they'll show up eventually. I have read them, at least.

Chapter starts with Bo's POV and then switches to Lauren. Crystal is introduced in this chapter, but her character isn't written to be the same character from the show - the name was used mostly to give you an easy visual reference point.

Enjoy!

* * *

Kenzi returned to the apartment around 11:00p on Monday night. The bar had started to clear out after the football game had ended, and Dyson had let her leave to go check on Bo once it was clear that he could close up on his own.

Upon walking in, Kenzi found Bo sitting on the couch watching TV. She looked tired, drained, and Kenzi dropped down beside her.

"I thought you would have gone to bed already," Kenzi commented, arranging the blanket Bo was using to cover both of their legs.

"I tried. Couldn't sleep," Bo commented.

"Feel up for a recap on tonight?" Kenzi asked.

Bo sighed. "Rainer's been calling since we broke up, so I finally just broke down and talked to him. You heard most of that, I'm sure."

"I heard yelling."

"That pretty much covers it."

Kenzi nodded. "I saw Lauren come up earlier."

"Yeah, she's going to start dating," Bo noted, flatly.

"Wait, what?"

Bo nodded, not adding anything.

Kenzi looked at Bo, clearly confused by this information. "I thought you two were, I don't know, starting something."

Bo shrugged. "I'd like to. But I can't do it right now."

"What do you mean?"

Bo sighed. "I like Lauren. I really do. But I'm so _exhausted_ , by Rainer and everything that happened there…I just don't feel like being in the middle of a relationship again. She deserves a girlfriend, you know? And I'm not in a 'girlfriend' place."

"Seems weird that she would come up just to give you an FYI that she was dating."

"It didn't to me, honestly. I mean, we know how we feel about each other. But she just came out of five years with someone, it makes sense that she wants to go on a date and see how she feels. And, hopefully, one day she and I can try to be something more. But for now, I just need her in my life, and I can't do the girlfriend thing yet."

"So you're okay with this? Seeing her with someone else?"

Bo gave a short burst of a laugh. "I mean, I'm not psyched about it, but she needs to do what is right for her. I care about her. If it's supposed to happen, it will. I just know that if I tried to start something with her right now we'd have a lot of problems because my head is in the wrong place. I don't want to put either one of us through that.

Kenzi nodded. "I guess I get that."

Bo was quiet for a beat. "Relationships suck."

Kenzi laughed lightly and snuggled closer to Bo.

* * *

Christmas came and went. It was a low key year for Lauren, and she found she liked it that way. Other than a party with work and a few nights out with the gang, she didn't do much. Work didn't let up – apparently people didn't stop getting sick or hurt just because it was a holiday – and all in all, Lauren felt contented.

Vex came home from visiting his parents on January 3. Once he was home and settled, he called Lauren to catch up. After the typical preliminary back and forth and catching up on their holidays, Vex settled into the reason for his call.

"You haven't talked to me any more about going out with Crystal."

"Who is Crystal?"

"The girl I was telling you about the other night at the bar. I think this could be good for you. You've been single now for months. This girl will be good for you."

Lauren sighed. "I don't want to just go out with someone for no reason, Vex."

"Listen, I know you're hung up on Bo, alright? But she told you herself, she isn't an option right now. How many people have you dated since you came out?"

"I've dated before, Vex."

"No, actually, you haven't. You drunkenly hooked up with women until you came to terms with the fact that you were a lesbian, which you did by dating Nadia, and since that ended you've been with no one else. You've basically _never_ dated, darling."

"I was with Nadia for five years. I certainly think that counts."

"Let me ask you something, love – when you met Nadia, how did you feel about her?"

Lauren was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I thought she was beautiful. She was funny. Kind. We got along well."

"Mmm," said Vex. "And now tell me about when you met Bo?"

"Where are you going with this, Vex?"

"I'm not saying that what you feel for Bo isn't real. What I am saying is that you met Nadia, came out, and stayed with her because you felt a spark. Now you've felt a spark with Bo. There's nothing wrong with that, but how do you know this spark with Bo is the one that is going to last? How do you know it's more than what you felt for Nadia? Maybe Bo _is_ different. All I'm saying is, shouldn't you at least try to have a few more experiences to make sure?"

"Look, Vex…what you're saying makes logical sense, okay? It does. But…I mean, how can I go out with someone while I'm hung up on someone else? It seems…wrong."

"It _isn't_ wrong if you approach it the right way."

"What does that mean?"

"I told you I had the perfect girl for your rebound, and I do. I'm going to give you her number. Just promise me you'll call her, alright?"

"What are you talking about, approaching it the right way?"

"I never said you had to lead her on or lie to her, are you going to make me say this? Just be honest with her. Christ, I never thought _I_ would be the one giving this advice."

"That is a weird suggestion coming from you," Lauren commented.

Vex laughed. "Just call her, alright? Have a drink with her. See how you feel. I'm not actually asking you to sleep with her. I know you, Lo, I know that isn't you. But a drink with her, just to see how it goes? That is something I think you need. Maybe meet a couple of girls. No one is telling you to have a relationship with them. Just see how you feel."

"Vex…"

"Get a pen. Just call her. For me. For Vexy."

Lauren felt herself start to smile. "I promise to give her a call. That's all. Okay?"

"Ta."

* * *

Four days later, Lauren found herself with her phone in one hand and Crystal's number in the other. She knew Vex had a valid point – she really didn't know if these feelings were Bo were inherently because of her, or because for the first time in years she was looking.

She took a deep breath and dialed.

 _Ring. Ring._

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line caught her almost off guard. What was she supposed to say?

"Hey, um, hi, is this Crystal?"

"Yes."

"Hi, this is Lauren, Vex's friend?"

"Oh, Lauren! Hey, hi."

Lauren felt deeply awkward. "Um, how are you doing?" _Smooth, Lewis, smooth._

She heard Crystal laugh. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks," Lauren answered.

They were quiet for a second before Crystal spoke again. "Wow, I know I'm out of practice, but this feels awkward."

Lauren laughed lightly. "Yeah, it is. Sorry, I'm not great at this."

"So you just got out of a relationship too, huh?"

Lauren felt herself start to relax. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only because I did too," she answered.

"Oh, yeah? How long for you?"

"Six years. You?"

"Five." Lauren paused. "Are we supposed to be talking about this?"

Crystal laughed. "I haven't been on a date in over six years. I have no idea."

The conversation continued, and Lauren started to understand what Vex had meant when he said this girl was 'perfect' for her. She was kind, sweet, easy to talk to, and also very much raw from her breakup. By the end of the conversation, they had agreed to meet for drinks in a week.

* * *

The next week went by quickly and soon Lauren found herself standing in front of her closet, debating what to wear. What did you wear when you wanted to communicate 'I'm just here to see if this thing I feel for another girl is the real thing'?

Lauren hadn't told Bo about meeting Crystal. She hadn't found a good way to bring it up, and anyway, this wasn't really a date so much as a social experiment. She continued to search through her closet before finally settling on a simple and fairly conservative outfit. Once she was ready, she grabbed her keys and headed to the bar where she and Crystal had decided to meet.

Once Lauren and Crystal had both arrived, they ordered drinks and found a place to sit. Lauren's first impression of Crystal was – pretty, seems nice enough.

 _Not as attractive as Bo._

Alright, so there was that. Lauren tried to focus, to stop comparing Crystal to Bo, but as the evening moved on, she found herself doing it more and more.

Crystal told her a story. _Not as funny as Bo._

She talked about her work. _Not as smart as Bo._

She went to use the bathroom, and Lauren watched her as she walked there and back. _Not as graceful as Bo_.

By the time the evening was wrapping up, Crystal leaned back in her seat. "So. How are we doing?"

Lauren smiled. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think we're doing okay," Crystal answered, taking another sip of her drink. "But you're not available, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

Crystal smiled. "It's fine, I get it. Your mind is on someone else. Is it your ex?"

Lauren sighed. "No, actually."

Crystal looked interested. "Really?"

"Yeah, there's this woman I met. I don't know, there's just this attraction there that I can't seem to shake."

"So why are you here with me instead of with her?"

"She just got out of something messy. She isn't interested in dating right now. And plus…I don't know, I just feel like I need to know if what I'm feeling for her is something real, or if it's just me being single for the first time in years."

Crystal nodded. "I get that. Figured it out yet?"

Lauren laughed. "No. I don't know. I keep thinking about her. Sorry…I guess that was rude to say…"

Crystal took another sip and waved Lauren off. "Don't apologize. Please. I totally get that, actually."

"You do?"

Crystal shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, since I broke up with Jenn, I don't know, I'm having a hard time figuring out if I'm interested in the people I'm meeting or if I'm just used to being with someone, you know? It's weird. You get so used to being part of a couple that when you aren't any more you feel…off balance."

"Exactly!" Lauren said.

"There's this girl at my office…" Crystal hesitated. "Do you care if I talk about this?"

Lauren laughed. "It's fine. Go on."

"So, there's this girl, and I really enjoy being around her, you know? She's good company. And I didn't really think about that until Jenn and I broke up. I mean, she and I have been friends for a while, and I never thought about it as more than that, but since we broke up, I don't know. I catch myself thinking about her as a girlfriend. But…I mean, is that real? Or is that a reflex because I'm used to being with someone?"

"Dating sucks," Lauren said, grabbing her drink.

"I'll drink to that," Crystal said, clinking her glass with Lauren's.

They continued talking and drinking for a while, but before long Lauren caught herself yawning. They paid their tabs and gathered themselves to leave.

When they got outside, Crystal turned to Lauren. "Okay. Thoughts? Reviews?"

Lauren smiled. "Better than I expected, I think. I don't really know what I expected, I guess, but I had fun."

Crystal smiled. "I did, too. I didn't think I was going to. I don't mean that to sound rude –"

"No, I get it," Lauren answered.

"So, would you want to try this again sometime?"

Lauren thought for a second. "Maybe. It was nice just talking about this." Crystal nodded. "But I don't want to…I mean, I guess I just want to be honest here and tell you that…I mean…" Lauren fumbled, trying to find the right words.

"I'm not expecting anything here," Crystal answered, before Lauren could finish. "To be honest, I don't think I'm at point where I want to seriously contemplate something more than tonight. But it was nice talking to you, and doing this again _would_ get some people off my back –" Lauren laughed. "—so, I'll call you?"

Lauren smiled warmly. Crystal was actually a really nice person. Sure, Lauren hadn't felt a spark, or a jolt, or whatever, but this had been refreshing, having a night that wasn't tinged with anything, talking to someone without an agenda, or thinking about _what if_ or _maybe_. "I'd like that."

Crystal and Lauren hugged and said their goodnights.

* * *

Looking forward to hearing from you all


	17. Chapter 17

Primarily Bo POV.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Where are all these people coming from?" Bo asked as she collected glasses off the bar. It was a frigid Saturday night in mid-January. Bo had volunteered to work at the Dal to give Dyson a break, and she was already regretting it. The bar was filled from wall to wall.

Kenzi laughed. "You haven't worked a Saturday in a while. And, besides, this is a good thing. This keeps the doors open."

Bo groaned and continued taking orders and preparing drinks. Although she was out of practice for a rush like this, she soon found herself falling back into familiar rhythms. She was partway through making a martini when she heard a familiar voice.

"This place is insane," Lauren commented, weaving closer to the bar.

Bo looked up and smiled immediately. She hadn't seen Lauren in a couple of weeks – okay, in 17 days, but who was counting – and she was happy she had come in.

"I'm so happy you're here," Kenzi said before Bo had a chance to say hello, sweeping in between Bo and Lauren. "Because you're our friend, and friends help each other!"

Lauren laughed. "What do you need me to do?"

"Bus some tables and take them to the kitchen? We're running low on glasses."

"She doesn't work here, Kenzi," Bo commented.

Lauren waved off Bo's comment. "Do you have a tray I can use?"

Kenzi provided a tray and sent Lauren off to collect errant glassware.

"Really, Kenz?" Bo asked when Lauren was out of earshot.

"What? We're slammed. She's one of us now, that means she gets stuck with chores too."

Bo rolled her eyes and went back to making drinks.

* * *

That night continued on, with Bo and Kenzi bartending and Lauren helping Tamsin as a bar back. Lauren seemed to fit into the flow of the bar easily, and by 12 the crowd started to thin out. The group continued to work, cleaning, restocking, and serving until the last customer left at 1:30.

Once the bar was closed, Bo slumped down onto one of the stools. "Well that was ridiculous," she commented, wiping her hands on her pants.

"But we made a killing," Kenzi commented, working at the register.

Lauren walked out of the back carrying a container of clean glasses. "I don't think I've been here before when it was this busy."

Bo got up and took the container from Lauren. "Before you do anything else we should probably make you fill out a W-2," Bo said with a smile.

"Am I hired permanently?" Lauren asked with a laugh.

"Seems like a good call. Have you been a waitress before?" Bo asked, stacking the glasses under the bar.

Lauren grabbed a rag and started wiping down liquor bottles. "Yeah, a little in high school and pretty consistently while I was in undergrad. I did a little bartending but not much."

Bo nodded. "I've done more bartending than waitressing," she commented, finishing up the glasses. "Let me do that, really, Kenzi shouldn't have even asked you to work," she said, taking the rag from Lauren.

"I don't mind, really," Lauren said. "This kind of work is nice sometimes. Weirdly therapeutic."

"You're welcome to come to therapy here anytime," Kenzi commented, as she finished closing out a register drawer.

"We really do appreciate you helping out," Bo said. Kenzi nodded her agreement and headed into the back office with a stack of receipts, leaving Bo and Lauren temporarily alone. They were quiet for a few moments, continuing to clean bottles and straighten the bar. "So," Bo said, clearing her throat, "you never said, did you ever go on that date?"

"I did," Lauren said as she refilled the napkin holder. "Crystal. She was nice."

"Oh, that's great," Bo said, nodding. _How nice?_ Bo thought. She kept it to herself. "Do you think you'll see her again?" _Yeah, that was more subtle_ Bo thought, sarcastically.

Lauren looked at Bo sideways and smiled. "Yeah, maybe," she said, her voice light. "Why, is that an issue?"

The comment was clearly a dig at Bo's question, but it was playful, and Bo couldn't help smiling herself. "Just want to make sure she's good enough for you, that's all."

"I don't see joint Christmas cards in the near future, if that tells you anything," Lauren said. "But it was nice. I knew it was going to feel weird going out with someone else, other than Nadia, you know? But it wasn't that bad. I'm glad I went. We had a lot in common."

"Like what?" _You really need to stop now._

"Like we both just got out of long relationships. We both have a thing for another girl."

Bo felt her heartrate pick up, and she looked back at Lauren, who was still smiling. "But you're going to see her again?"

Lauren shrugged. "She's nice enough, we had a good time. It was nice just being out with someone again, getting used that feeling. Other than Nadia I've never really done that."

Bo nodded. "Makes sense." _Are you going to go on dates with other people, too?_ She held the question in, continuing to work.

"What?" Lauren said, looking at Bo.

Bo looked up. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking something."

Bo looked at her quizzically. "What?"

"You had something you wanted to ask. What is it?"

Bo sighed. "Nothing. I just…I was wondering if you were planning on seeing other people, other than this one girl."

"Is someone else offering?"

Bo smiled. "Touché."

They lapsed back into an easy quiet before Lauren spoke again. "If someone else asked, I would consider going, honestly," she said. "I know that's not where you are. But if someone else did ask, I'd think about it." Bo nodded. "The truth is, Crystal was barely a date. I don't see that being a real romantic connection for me. But the feeling of being out with someone else, even with someone like her, where I didn't see a future…it was fun. It was casual and there was no pressure, and I actually enjoyed myself. If someone else asked me, I would be willing to do that again."

"What if someone else asks you and this time there is a spark?" Bo asked. "What would happen then?" Bo was trying to choose her words carefully, but they both knew what she was really asking – _if you meet someone else, will you try to have a relationship with them? Or would you wait to see if you could have something with me?_

"I don't know," Lauren said, quietly. "Until that happens, I don't think I can know." Bo nodded and stayed quiet. Lauren walked closer to her. "If that did happen, what would that mean for us?"

Bo sighed. "If you find someone who is good for you, who you like, you shouldn't worry about me before you go out with them. We'll still be friends. I can't promise I'll be perky about it, but ultimately I think we both deserve to be happy."

Lauren nodded. "That's a very mature answer."

"Can you promise not to date someone prettier than me?"

Lauren laughed. "Less mature."

Bo smiled. She had a vague awareness of Lauren coming closer, drawing toward her like an orbit. She took a steadying breath and tried to clear her senses. Lauren did the same and pulled back slightly, just enough to break the trance they were both falling under.

"I should probably go," Lauren said, quietly.

"You don't have to," Bo said. "I'll behave."

Lauren smiled. "You're not the one I'm worried about."

Bo felt her heart flutter, and Lauren leaned in and gave her a light kiss. "I'll talk to you later," Lauren said.

Bo watched Lauren leave. When the door closed behind her, she drew in a deep breath. Damn, Lauren was sexy. She shook her head to regain her bearings and went back to cleaning the bar. _Friends_ , she reminded herself. Right. Friends.

* * *

The following Wednesday Bo was at her desk doing research for a case. She was reading from her computer screen, making notes on a legal pad when she heard her phone buzzing on the other side of her desk. She reached over and opened the text message she had just received.

Lauren: _Hey, would you be free to get lunch today?_

Bo answered immediately. _Sure, where do you want to meet?_ After pressing send, she had the vague thought that maybe she should have waited a minute before answering. Her response had been so automatic, so instantaneous, that it might make her look needy. What if Lauren thought –

Before she could finish her train of thought, Lauren had texted back. _Vinny's, at 1?_ Bo smiled again. Well, if she looked overeager, at least it looked Lauren was behaving the same way. She texted back and confirmed the plan before returning to her work.

* * *

Vinny's was a hole in the wall sandwich shop roughly halfway between Bo's and Lauren's work. It was always fairly busy, but despite that there was usually a table available and the food was pretty solid. Bo arrived at 12:50 and as she was walking to the door almost collided with Lauren, who was also on her way in.

Bo made a show of looking at her watch. "We're both early? I don't think that's ever happened," she said with a laugh.

Lauren smiled. "I think you're right." They stood for a minute, unsure of what to do next, and after a few moments Bo reached out and wrapped Lauren in a tight hug. Lauren responded immediately, wrapping her own arms around Bo and turning her face into Bo's hair.

The hug lasted a few seconds longer than a normal hug hello, but when Lauren and Bo pulled back neither acknowledged it. They entered the restaurant to eat.

* * *

"So, you have a brother?" Bo asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.

Lauren nodded. "Michael. He's two years older than I am." Lauren took a sip of her drink. "He does something with computer engineering, I don't really understand it," Lauren said with a wave of her hand. Bo laughed and Lauren looked up. "What?"

Bo shrugged. "I mean, you say that like it's so complicated you could never understand it."

"I probably couldn't. I'm not great with computers and technology."

"Lauren, you're a doctor. I'm sure you could understand anything you wanted to learn about."

Lauren blushed slightly and looked back down. "That's not really true. I'm just good with science, that doesn't mean I'm good at everything."

"I was always terrible at science," Bo commented.

Lauren looked back up with a mischievous smirk. "Well, you're a lawyer. You're smart. I'm sure you could learn science."

Bo laughed. "You obviously don't know many lawyers. We aren't that smart. We just went to school for a long time. There is a difference." Lauren left and shook her head. A few beats later, Bo asked, "so are you and Michael close?'

Lauren nodded. "We don't talk as much as we should, but we try to. He got married about two years ago, and between that and my work schedule, we just don't seem to catch up as often as we should. What about you? Do you have siblings?"

"Just Kenzi and Dyson," Bo answered.

"That's kind of amazing," Lauren commented.

"What is?"

"The way you made your own family. I mean, I have Vex, and I guess I think of him like a little brother, but if someone asked me about my siblings I wouldn't mention him, you know?"

"Well, maybe that's because you have Michael to mention."

"Maybe," Lauren said with a shrug. They ate their lunch for a few more moments. "So any new fun cases?"

Bo thought for a second, chewing. "Nothing that I would consider 'entertaining'. More just 'vile and disgusting'."

Lauren looked up, clearly curious.

"Child pornography," Bo said. "Not entirely my case, but I'm assisting with some research."

"The world is a fucked up place," Lauren said with disgust.

Bo laughed, and Lauren looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Nothing, I just don't think I've ever heard you say 'fuck' before."

Lauren looked at Bo with a slight bemused smile. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You were just thinking about a child porn case you're working on. How did you turn your mind off of that so fast and find something funny?"

Bo thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just used to it, I guess. You compartmentalize and just shut it off when you need to. I'm sure you do that, too."

Lauren nodded. "I do, but I don't know that I can transition out of it as fast as you do."

"Well, maybe it's because my experience with it is a less direct, you know? I'm working with files, you're working with actual people." They were quiet for a few more moments. "Do you ever struggle with it? With turning it off, or transitioning out, or whatever?"

"Sometimes. The other day, when that woman died, that one was hard on me. I don't know, some days I feel like I can do it with no problem, but others it's like I can't do it at all."

Bo nodded. "I get the same way sometimes. It's hard to explain."

"I get that," Lauren agreed.

"Sometimes I worry that I can turn it off too well, though," Bo said. "Like, what are you becoming when you can just see those things and move on like nothing happened?"

Lauren put her hand on top of Bo's. "You aren't 'becoming' anything," she said.

Bo looked at where their hands sat together and smiled. "You're definitely a healer," Bo said.

"Hmm?"

"You told me I was a protector. You're a healer. You fix things for people, physically and emotionally. You make things better." Lauren looked at Bo, not saying anything, her thumb unconsciously tracing circles on the side of Bo's hand. "You make me feel better."

Lauren smiled at Bo. "You make me feel better, too." They sat like that for a few more moments, and finally Lauren cleared her throat and pulled her hand back. Bo was momentarily sad at the loss. "Sorry," Lauren said.

"Hey, we're friends, right?" Bo said with a smile.

Lauren laughed. "Yeah, yeah."

They kept eating and talking, and when they were done they stood, cleaning up their plates and napkins.

"We should do this again," Lauren said, throwing things away. "We really don't get to see each other enough."

"Wednesdays are usually the best days for me work-wise," Bo said. "Want to plan on doing this again next week?"

Lauren smiled. "Absolutely."

* * *

Let me know what you think


	18. Chapter 18

This one starts with Lauren's POV, goes to Bo in the middle, and ends with Lauren. I mean, let's be honest, I don't really have a pattern on this anymore.

The podcasts referenced in this chapter are real and they're pretty good. Check them out.

Also, the guitar solo mentioned is read and it's fairly awesome. Check that out, too.

Now that you have your orders - enjoy!

* * *

"I can't even believe that we are having this debate!" Bo exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Me either, since you are _clearly_ wrong!" Lauren answered.

Bo shook her head. "This is, I mean…this is just _ridiculous_."

"Yes, it absolutely is, because there is _no way_ Hendrix is better than Clapton!"

"Hendrix could play the guitar _with his teeth!_ " Bo shot back.

"So? Clapton plays better with his hands, that's all that matters."

Bo laughed. "You are _so_ wrong about this!"

Lauren smiled. "Alright, fine, I think we can agree that they're both great."

"True."

"But Clapton is objectively better."

" _False._ "

"Have you _heard_ the guitar solo he does during White Room on Sheryl Crow's live album?!"

Bo paused. "Um, no, but I don't think I should lose points in this argument because I didn't hear that one obscure version of a song on an album he didn't release…"

Lauren took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, okay, fair enough."

Bo laughed and took another bite of her food. When Lauren took a bite herself, Bo shot back "Hendrix is still better."

Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled, grabbing her phone from her bag. "Alright, hang on, you're going to listen to this…" She pulled the song up on her phone and hit play. They listened.

"Holy shit, that actually was really good," Bo said.

"Right?!"

"Almost as good as Hendrix."

Lauren tossed her phone back in her bag and sighed deeply as Bo laughed. It was a rainy Wednesday in early March, and Lauren and Bo were sitting together at a table in a crowded restaurant. It was their fifth – or was it their sixth? – time meeting for lunch, and Lauren was quickly finding that it was her favorite time of the week.

Nothing that noteworthy had happened at any of their meetings. They met, they talked about books, or movies, or work, or funny stories about their friends, or how Bo _clearly_ didn't understand music because, while Hendrix was great, Clapton was clearly – not the point. The point was Lauren enjoyed this.

"Reviews?" Bo asked, finishing her lunch.

"Hmm…I'd say 7 out of 10," Lauren answered.

"Really? I thought it was an 8."

"I docked it an extra point because it will now forever in my mind be place where I learned you didn't understand music."

Bo laughed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, whatever. Where are trying next week?"

Lauren smiled. This was also becoming their thing – each week they went to a new restaurant. "There's a sushi place I wanted to try," Lauren said.

"Awesome, sushi sounds great," Bo responded. They both leaned their arms on the table, finishing their drinks, neither quite ready to leave yet.

"Oh, I meant to tell you," Bo said, "I found a podcast you would like."

"Oh, yeah?" Lauren said.

"Limetown. It's kind of like The Black Tapes," Bo responded, referencing a podcast Lauren had mentioned liking the week before.

"I'll have to check that out." Lauren paused. "Wait, did you listen to The Black Tapes?"

Bo shrugged. "I may have listened to one or two. You're right, it is interesting. Oh, and I started listening to Lore. You would be into that, too." Bo glanced at the time and looked slightly sad. "I probably need to get back to work," she commented.

Lauren felt momentarily disappointed. She knew they had to go back to work, of course, but she wished lunch could last a little bit longer. They stood up from the table and stood close together while gathering their things and putting on their coats. Lauren felt her arm brush against Bo's and smiled slightly. It was a little thing, so innocuous, but it was part of a larger pattern. Since they had started meeting Lauren had noticed them each finding small ways to touch. They were usually like this, something small and insignificant, but once Lauren started noticing it, it was hard to ignore it. She caught herself doing it, unconsciously.

Lauren and Bo walked to the side door of the restaurant to avoid the crowd in the front. They looked through the door and saw it was still raining. Lauren sighed. She had taken a cab here, and so now she was faced with the prospect of standing in the street and trying to hail another one or calling and waiting in the restaurant until it arrived.

"Want a ride?" Bo asked, seeming to read her thoughts.

Lauren glanced over. "That's too much to ask, I'll make you late."

Bo shrugged off the comment. "It's no big deal. I stay late enough most nights that they aren't losing out by letting me take a couple extra minutes for lunch. C'mon, I'll drive you."

They exited the restaurant and hurried to Bo's car. Once inside they tried to shake off the rain as best they could. Bo started the car and blasted the heat before pulling out and driving to Lauren's work.

They continued to talk along the way about nothing in particular, and Lauren felt distracted by the way the car seemed to surround her with the smell of Bo. The closer they got to Lauren's work, the more they fell into an easy silence.

Bo pulled up beside the hospital and put the car in park. "Thanks again for meeting up today," Bo said.

Lauren smiled. "I had a good time," she answered. Lauren's eyes caught with Bo's, and for a moment she felt herself sinking.

She intended to give Bo a hug goodbye – just for the record, that was her intention. She wasn't sure how she ended up with her hands tangled in Bo's hair, her tongue in Bo's mouth, the seatbelt digging against her hip.

Bo unhooked her seatbelt and then reached over and unhooked Lauren's. Once they were released she pulled Lauren as close as she could in the confines of the car, her hands low on Lauren's face, her fingers trailing against Lauren's neck. Lauren felt Bo leaning harder into her and Lauren felt she was falling. Her world was spinning and the only still point at the center was Bo, anchoring her, holding her in place.

They kept kissing until Lauren was dangerously desperate for air. When they finally broke apart, Bo rested her forehead against Lauren's her eyes still closed. "Sorry," Bo whispered. "It's really hard to be friends with you."

Lauren smiled, her eyes also closed. "Maybe we're just really, _really_ good friends."

"Really, really good," Bo murmured, pulling Lauren back in. It was less desperate this time, less urgent. It was slow, deep, and made Lauren feel weak and quivering. Bo's hand drifted to Lauren's neck and for a moment she thought it was going to drift lower.

 _BEEP, BEEP_.

They flew apart, both startled, as the car sitting behind them honked with annoyance. Lauren looked at Bo apologetically. "Sorry, I should go," she said, gathering her bag.

Bo nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Lauren turned back to Bo and fought the instinct to kiss her again, just one last time, before she got out of the car. The car behind them honked again, and Lauren pushed open the door, sprinting through the rain into the hospital.

* * *

Bo felt antsy for the next week. She tried to focus at work, but she struggled. She bartended on Sunday, and had to remake far too many drinks. She was distracted. There was no getting around why.

Lauren.

She had kissed Lauren. Again. And all it had done was make her realize that she really wanted to kiss Lauren. Again.

For a moment she tried to think things through, tried to sort out everything she was feeling and what she should do. But, honestly, she didn't really want to do that. She didn't want to analyze this. Despite the kind of work she did, Bo had always been the kind of person who preferred to _do_ instead of think. She didn't want labels on her and Lauren. She just wanted Lauren.

The days passed with an agonizing slowness, dragging as Bo waited for Wednesday to come.

Finally, Wednesday arrived. Bo tried to ignore the fact that she spent longer getting ready that morning, that she checked the time more often than usual, that she counted down until lunch. They were friends. That was a good enough label for now. She just wanted to see her.

At 10:45, she received a text from Lauren.

 _I'm so sorry, I can't meet for lunch today._

Bo felt herself sink. _Oh, okay, that's fine. Everything okay?_ She tried to make it sound casual, like she wasn't affected. Ah, the magic of texting.

 _I had to go home. Fever._

Lauren was sick? _Do you need anything?_ Bo texted.

 _Just to sleep. I'm really sorry about today, though._

Bo smiled slightly. Yeah, it was just a text, but she felt like she could hear the truth in Lauren's words – she really was sorry. Maybe Lauren was going to miss seeing Bo as much as Bo was going to miss seeing Lauren.

Bo told Lauren to feel better soon and turned her attention back to her desk. She felt completely unmotivated. This sucked. She sighed and attempted to go back to work.

* * *

Bo knocked on Lauren's door at 12:30. She knew she shouldn't be here – Lauren was sick and probably asleep. But she needed to eat, right? So she had gone to the sushi restaurant and bought Miso soup for Lauren.

Lauren opened the door, looking disheveled, and Bo felt her heart clench. "Sorry, I don't mean to bother you. I just wanted to bring you something to eat and to check on you." As she spoke, Bo felt more and more ridiculous. She shouldn't have done this.

Lauren smiled. She looked exhausted, weak. "Thanks," she said. "Come in."

Bo walked in and looked around. Lauren's normally orderly home was messy. More worryingly, Lauren didn't seem to notice or care. Lauren swayed slightly while walking in front of Bo, and Bo put her hand on Lauren's back to steady her. She could feel the heat of the fever radiating off her back through her tee shirt.

Bo left her hand on Lauren's back and used it to guide her to the couch, where Bo could see a blanket and pillowed crumpled. "Come on, sit down," Bo said.

Lauren didn't protest as Bo led her, dropping against the couch. Bo pulled the blanket from under Lauren's legs and draped it over her. When she was satisfied that Lauren was settled for now, she crossed to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and spoon, pouring the soup into it.

"Here, you need to eat something," Bo said, walking back toward Lauren.

"Not hungry," Lauren mumbled. God, she looked miserable.

"Yeah, but I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten today, have you?" Lauren looked at Bo with grumpy eyes that confirmed what Bo had said. "And, as your doctor, I need to inform you that you need to eat something to keep your strength up."

"You aren't a doctor."

"Well at least we know you aren't delirious yet. Now eat up."

Lauren eyed the soup and looked vaguely sad. "Is that Miso soup?"

"Yeah, why, do you not like that? I can get something else."

"Did you get it from the sushi place?" Bo nodded, and Lauren sighed. "I really wanted to go there."

Bo smiled. "We still can."

"We go somewhere new every week. You've already been."

Bo put the spoon and bowl on the coffee table and sat back, pulling Lauren into her arms. "It doesn't count unless we both go," she said as Lauren sagged against her. God, Lauren felt like she was on fire. Bo held her tighter, wishing she could take the fever away.

"Really?"

Bo smiled. "Really."

"Okay." Lauren sunk against Bo, closing her eyes as Bo lightly ran her hand over her back. Bo could feel her starting to drift and nudged her back awake.

"Hey, before you go to sleep, you really do need to eat something, okay? Have you taken anything yet?"

Lauren shook her head no, not opening her eyes or moving off of Bo.

Bo slowly rotated Lauren back, as Lauren gave a noise of protest. "I'm going to get you some Tylenol. Please eat a little bit, okay?"

Lauren opened her eyes and looked at Bo. She held Bo's gaze for a second and sighed. "Okay."

Bo waited for Lauren to lean forward and pick up the spoon before she headed to the bathroom to find the medicine.

As she walked through the house, she took note of the mess. Lauren worked late a lot, Bo knew, and so it made sense that things wouldn't be that orderly all the time. And now that she was sick, it was clear things were going to stay this way until she was well. Bo stepped into the bathroom and quietly shut the door behind her, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She called her office and let a secretary know she was using personal time for the rest of the afternoon. She grabbed the medicine and returned to Lauren on the couch.

Lauren took a few bites before putting the spoon down. Bo handed her the pills and gave her some water. When she had taken them, Bo refilled the water glass and put it on the coffee table next to the barely eaten soup. "You need to keep drinking this, alright?"

Lauren nodded slowly, her eyes looking weak. Bo sat back beside her and immediately Lauren fell against her again. Bo smiled, gathering the blanket to cover her. Lauren tilted her face toward Bo's chest and started to drift to sleep. Bo snagged the remote from the arm of the couch and turned on the TV, watching it at a low volume as Lauren's sleeping breath moved against her.

When it was clear that Lauren was deeply asleep, Bo carefully maneuvered off the couch. Lauren didn't wake up, and Bo started to creep around the house, slowly and quietly cleaning up. She cleaned the dishes in the sink and gently stacked them in the dish drainer, she folded the clothes she found on the floor in the bedroom, she gathered the various trash that had accumulated on the coffee table. She was about to look for a rag to wipe down the counter when she heard Lauren stir. She walked back to check on her.

"Where did you go?" Lauren asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"I just got up for a minute," Bo said, quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Come back."

Bo smiled and walked back over, settling down beside Lauren again.

* * *

When Lauren woke up, it was dark outside. She was damp, and she quickly realized she was covered in sweat. She shift slightly and heard Bo's soft breath. Bo was still here; apparently, Lauren wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep. She cringed slightly when she realized she had spent the entire afternoon lying on Bo – now Bo would probably get the same fever she had.

Lauren sat up, feeling the muscles in her back clench. Her movement woke Bo.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled. "Much better. I think the fever's gone."

"Good. Do you think you can eat some dinner?"

Lauren's heart fluttered. "I may get something in a little bit." She glanced around. "Wait, did you clean up in here?"

Bo looked slightly embarrassed. "Um, not really, just, you know, I know you like things to be neat, so…"

"So you spent your whole day taking care of me and cleaning my house?" she said it quietly, with a small note of surprise.

"It was nothing, honestly," Bo said.

Lauren nodded. "It was something."

Bo smiled. "I'm just glad you're starting to feel better." She looked at the time. "I should probably go, though. Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"No, you've done plenty. Thank you so much – really. Thank you."

"Anytime," Bo answered.

Lauren walked over and wrapped Bo in a hug. "I probably shouldn't do this. You're going to end up getting sick."

"I have a good immune system," Bo answered. Bo kissed Lauren's cheek, near her ear, and Lauren shivered. "Is the fever coming back?" Bo asked, clearly concerned.

Lauren held in a smile as she realized Bo didn't understand what had caused her to shiver. "No, I think I'm okay now." They hesitated for another moment. "Call me if you start feeling bad, okay?" Lauren said. "Mine started with a sore throat and built from there. If you start feeling that, let me know."

Bo laughed lightly. "Okay, but why? You couldn't stop it when you got it. Seems like something that just has to run its course."

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, but still. Call me, okay?"

Bo smiled. "I'll definitely will."

* * *

Let me know what you think


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you all for your reviews, I really do enjoy reading what you guys think of this story. This chapter is both Lauren and Bo's POV at various times. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks about it.

This is pretty solidly our longest chapter so far. Hope everyone is okay with that.

Enjoy!

* * *

Over the next few days Lauren started feeling more like herself. Her fever didn't resurface, and she began feeling rested, stronger. By Friday she felt mostly back to normal. She hadn't talked to Bo much since she left on Wednesday, and Lauren was starting to miss her. Since they had begun meeting for Wednesday lunches she and Bo had fallen into a pattern of texting at least a few times a day. Although they never really talked about anything in particular, Lauren found that when the interaction was removed she felt off-center.

Friday evening Lauren entered the Dal, looking to spend an easy evening with Bo and the rest of her friends. When she arrived she found Dyson working the bar.

"Hey, stranger!" he said with a smile. "Feeling any better? I heard you were sick."

Lauren found herself smiling back. "A lot better, thanks," Lauren answered. "What have I missed?"

"Nothing, really. I think Bo's upstairs if you're looking for her." He said it offhandedly, and Lauren could see he wasn't trying to imply anything, but it caught Lauren slightly off guard that he immediately knew why she was there.

"Oh, cool, I might walk up and see her, I wanted to see how she was feeling."

"Not great, I don't think. Kenzi mentioned that she tried to convince her to stay from work today, but you know how Bo is."

 _Damn it, I did get her sick_ , Lauren thought. "Alright, I think I'll go check on her," Lauren said.

Dyson nodded, and Lauren walked to the stairs to go up to Bo's door. She knocked three times and heard shuffling inside.

When Bo pulled open the door, the first think Lauren noticed was the dark circles under her eyes. Bo had such expressive eyes – it was almost unsettling to Lauren to see them looking vacant and sick. Bo's cheeks were slightly flushed, but she also looked pale.

"Hey, Lauren, what's up?" she said, clearly trying to sound healthy and casual, and failing miserably.

"How high is the fever?" Lauren asked, walking in and placing her hand on Bo's forehead.

"I'm fine, really," Bo said.

Lauren noted the heat radiating off of Bo. "Yeah, you're definitely not, go sit down," Lauren said, dropping her bag onto a chair and walking into the kitchen for a glass of water. "You went to work today?"

"I'm _fine_ ," Bo repeated, walking after Lauren. "I'm doing really well. I'm great."

Lauren filled the glass and turned to Bo with curiosity, noting that Bo's words sounded slurred. "You haven't been drinking alcohol, have you?" Lauren asked uncertainly.

"No, that would be not smart. I mean that would be dumb. I didn't do that."

Lauren continued to look at Bo as Bo continued to try to hold it together enough to seem normal. Lauren started looking around the kitchen until her eyes hit the medicine bottle. She walked over, picked it up, and read the label.

"Did you take this?" Lauren asked, reading the bottle.

"Yes."

"When?"

Bo looked at the time. "Maybe around 5?"

Lauren sighed. "Bo, it's 7:30. This medicine is supposed to put you to sleep. Why aren't you asleep?"

"I had work to do," Bo said, her words still slightly slurred. "And I didn't have anything else in the house, so I took it when I got home, and I've been working."

Lauren glanced over at where the files Bo had been working on were spread out across the dinner table. "Yeah, I don't think you're going to be able to use any of the work you've done…"

"I feel fine," Bo said. "I think the medicine is working."

"Sweetie, you're high," Lauren said, walking over to Bo. "Come sit down. You need to go to sleep, but first you need to drink some water."

"No, no, I'm good," Bo said. She was swaying slightly, just barely perceptibly.

Lauren stood in front of Bo and put her hands on Bo's arms. "Bo, really, you need to trust me on this. That medicine is supposed to make you sleep. When you get tired, you aren't supposed to fight it. You need to lie down."

"You're eyes are really pretty," Bo said, staring at Lauren.

Lauren laughed slightly.

"No, I'm serious. You have really pretty eyes. Do you know that?"

Lauren smiled and started trying to lead Bo toward the couch. "Come sit down, okay?" Bo started walking with her. "Where is Kenzi?"

"I don't know. I think she was doing stuff for the bar."

"Okay. Come on, sit," Lauren said, guiding Bo down.

"I'm glad you're here," Bo said. "I like you being here. You're pretty."

Lauren smiled. "Wow, you are _so_ high."

"But I'm not wrong! You're pretty and you're funny and you're smart…"

Lauren walked over to the sink and got a glass of water for Bo, not able to suppress her smile. She vaguely realized that she could probably get high Bo to be incredibly honest with her, but in fairness Bo probably wouldn't remember this very well and that seemed like taking advantage of the situation. Lauren walked back to the couch with the water. "Here, drink this."

"You're my favorite person," Bo said, taking the glass and drinking.

The comment caught Lauren off guard. "What?"

"Kenzi is my sister and I love her, and Dyson is my brother and I love him, but you're my favorite. You're fun to be with, and you're nice…do you know that you're nice?"

Lauren smiled at her. "We really need to get you to bed."

"Everyone likes you. And even though you're wrong about music, you're really smart."

"Alright, come on," Lauren said, pulling Bo up after she had finished the water. "Time to lie down." When Bo was on her feet she stumbled slightly and Lauren pressed against her to steady her. "Alright, take your time."

"You smell good. Why do you always smell good?"

"I shower," Lauren said, focusing on keeping Bo moving.

Bo laughed. "You're _funny_."

"Baby, you're high, that really wasn't funny," Lauren commented, trying to navigate through the apartment.

"You called me baby," Bo said, her voice almost dreamy.

Lauren realized that she had; she hadn't actually meant to. "Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry."

"I liked it," Bo mumbled as she kept moving.

Lauren smiled to herself again as they arrived at the bedroom door. "Okay, you need to lie down. Come on, get into bed." Bo crawled under the blanket. "I'm sorry I got you sick," Lauren said as she arranged the blanket over Bo.

Bo closed her eyes and leaned into the pillow. "Worth it," she said.

Lauren stood watching her for a few moments, making sure she was asleep. When it was clear she was soundly out, Lauren turned off the light and quietly walked back downstairs.

* * *

Bo woke up with a dry mouth and a headache. She glanced around. She was in bed, but she didn't quite remember how she had ended up there. Using the heel of her hands to rub her eyes, she rose from bed and walked to the kitchen.

She looked around and saw her work files spread out across the table. She had a vague recollection of working on them, but it was fuzzy. With a sigh, she sat down to see what she had written.

 _Said he went to the place but went to the place._ Hm. That was a head scratcher.

 _Summons that girl._ Great, she'd get right on that.

 _Need the thing from him._ What a brilliant insight.

The next few notes she looked through were illegible. Well, at least she was feeling better now. She walked over to the coffeepot and started the brew, seeing the medicine bottle from the night before still sitting on the counter. She really needed to stop believing she could power through medicine designed for sleep.

Kenzi walked through the door and came toward the kitchen. "Morning, Courtney Love," she said.

Bo gave her a half smile. "Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. My fever must have broken sometime last night."

"Yeah, I came in to check on you around 2, it was gone by then."

Bo gave Kenzi a sideways smile. "Aw, you checked on me? You loooove me," she said in a singsong voice.

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "No, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't died in my apartment. It would be a pain to move all your stuff." Bo laughed and poured herself some coffee. Kenzi crossed the kitchen and poured herself a cup as well. "Plus, Lauren told me to check on you," Kenzi said, looking at Bo over the rim of the mug as she took a sip.

Bo froze. Shit, Lauren had been here? She tried to search her memory but it was all a jumble. She vaguely remembered Lauren being there, but she had assumed she had dreamed it at some point. "Oh, Lauren was here?" she said, trying to keep her tone from sounding nervous.

Kenzi smiled, clearly not buying Bo's attempt to sound nonchalant. "So, what's going on there?"

"Nothing," Bo said. "I mean, we're friends."

Kenzi nodded. "Sure, sure. I mean, I guess I just thought it was weird that you mentioned that Lauren was sick, and now you're sick, too. Crazy coincidence, right?"

Bo shrugged. "Probably just something that's going around."

"And not only did you catch it, but Dyson told me Lauren came by specifically asking if you'd caught it. Like she suspected you might have it, too."

"Well, you know, she's a doctor, she knows it's…going around…" Well, this wasn't convincing at all.

"Right. Makes sense. Hey, off topic, you never said, did you work late Wednesday night? I mean, I know you didn't get home until late, but you never said where you were."

Bo set her mug on the counter. "Alright, fine, I give up."

"So how long have you been seeing her?"

"I'm not seeing her, really," Bo said. "We just hang out sometimes. We get lunch occasionally and we talk. That's all."

"And?"

"And nothing. That's it."

"Nope. There's more."

Bo shook her head. "No, that really is it."

"So, on Wednesday when she was sick for a fever, you all went to a restaurant together?" Kenzi said, with a slight eye roll.

Bo sighed. "Alright, fine, so Wednesday I went to her house. But it was just a friend thing, I just wanted to take her lunch and make sure she was alright. It was nothing."

Kenzi took another sip of her coffee and then cleared her throat. "Bullshit."

"Not bullshit."

"Bullshit."

"Kenzi, seriously, it was nothing."

"It was nothing that lasted _all day_. You just said you took her lunch, and yet you didn't get home until after 8, so you were there, what, 8 hours?"

"No," Bo said. "I was there…7…"

Kenzi nodded and drank some more coffee. "Yeah, okay, I didn't know it was only 7 hours. You're right, you are just friends."

Bo sighed. "Alright, so I like her, okay? She means a lot to me. And we've gotten close. We're close friends. But that really is all."

"She's going on a date tonight," Kenzi said. Bo started coughing, swallowing her coffee too fast. Kenzi continued to sip her coffee, observing Bo. When Bo had composed herself, Kenzi set her mug back down. "Doing alright there?"

Bo wiped off the coffee that had gotten on her shirt. "I'm fine."

"Are you bothered that she's going out with someone else?"

"No, of course not. She can do whatever she wants." Kenzi nodded, continuing to watch Bo. After a few beats, Bo's shoulders sagged slightly. "Is she really, or are you just messing with me?"

Kenzi sighed. "She is. I don't know if she is, though, if that helps you."

"What do you mean?"

"Vex was telling me that Crystal invited her out for a group thing tonight. Crystal is also bringing someone she thinks Lauren would like. Lauren doesn't know that. So, no, she isn't really going on a date, technically."

Bo leaned against the counter. She felt deflated. Kenzi picked her mug back up and took another sip. "Look, if you just want to be friends with Lauren, that's fine. Do whatever you think is right for you. And I'm not saying Lauren is the girl for you, or that you two need to date, or anything at all, really – what I am saying is if you have this much of a reaction to her sort of going on a date that she doesn't even know about with someone else, maybe that's something you need to think about."

Bo was quiet for a minute and then blew out a breath. "I don't like that she might be seeing someone else. But I can be okay with it."

"Can you?"

"Yeah, I think I can."

* * *

Lauren kicked her shoes off into her closet before working to the bathroom to take out her earrings. She looked at herself in the mirror. God, what a night.

She had been looking forward to seeing Crystal again. Yeah, they weren't interested in dating, but she was a nice person and Lauren knew they'd have a good time. When Crystal had mentioned making it a group thing, Lauren had actually been excited to go. It was a chance to make more friends, and that seemed like a good idea.

When she'd arrived, though, and Crystal had made a point of having her sit next to Sarah, she had started to realize what was really happening. She had felt annoyed. She wasn't interested in being setup, and definitely wasn't interested in being ambushed into a setup. She had done her best to be polite and cordial all evening, but her mood was less than stellar.

She was about to wash her face and change her clothes when she heard a knock on the door. She glanced at her watch in surprise – who would be here this late? She turned and walked to the door.

Lauren was surprised to see Bo standing outside. "Hey, Bo, what's up?" Lauren stepped to the side and let Bo walk in.

Bo blew out a quick breath when she walked in and Lauren closed the door behind them. "How was your date?" Bo asked the question immediately, not pausing to greet her or exchange any pleasantries. Lauren had a moment where she wasn't sure how Bo knew she had been out on a "date", if you could call it that, but realized she didn't really care how Bo knew.

Lauren hesitated. "Do you really want to talk about this?"

"Sure, I mean, why not? We're _friends_ , right?"

Lauren could hear the bitterness in Bo's voice and sighed. "What's going on, Bo?"

Bo paused before she spoke again, and Lauren could see that she was gathering herself. "Look, I know we're not together, and I know that we agreed to that. It's just…knowing that you're out with someone else, knowing that someone else is getting to have dinner with you, to touch you, to kiss you…" Bo looked down shaking her head. "It just…I don't know, it bothers me."

"Bo –"

"Don't. Please – don't. I'm out of line saying any of this. I mean, we agreed to this. I really shouldn't have come here. You aren't doing anything wrong. I'm sorry." Bo looked like she was about to leave.

 _Don't go,_ Lauren thought. "I didn't kiss her," Lauren said.

Bo glanced up. "What?"

"A group of us went to dinner. I was stuck beside her all night. We made small talk. She asked me to go for a drink afterwards, I said no, she said we should do it again sometime,. I gave a non-committal answer, she tried to hug me when we said goodbye, and I stepped back and awkwardly waved. It was not a good date. It wasn't even really a date."

Bo was still, taking this information in. When she had been quiet for a few moments, Lauren tilted her head, trying to catch Bo's eye. "Bo?" she asked, when Bo continued not to speak.

Bo took two steps closer to Lauren and without warning pulled her in, kissing her hard. It took Lauren no time to respond, as her arms immediately went to Bo's face and her mouth opened to accept Bo's tongue into her mouth. She had a vague awareness of Bo pressing her against the wall, but the only thing she could fully process was the feeling of Bo pressing against her. She felt Bo's hands slide up her sides, coming into contact with her breasts, and she exhaled a breathy sigh.

A familiar refrain came back to Lauren's mind – _more, more, more._

Her own hands opened the front of Bo's jeans and reached inside. Her hands slipped into the front of Bo's underwear and she felt the heat and the wetness already gathering as she inserted her middle finger. Bo moaned and angled her hips against Lauren's hand.

Bo pushed her hands under Lauren's shirt, her fingers stroking the underside of Lauren's breasts and nipples. She heard and felt Lauren's whimper as she broke the kiss the latched her lips onto Lauren's neck, sucking the sensitive spot below her ear next to her jaw line.

Lauren was vaguely aware that they needed to stop this, that their first time together shouldn't happen like this. She tried to gather the willpower to pull back from Bo, but every time she thought she had the strength to step away she felt Bo's tongue against her, felt Bo's hands on her, felt Bo shift against her fingers, and the ability to stop left her. The truth was despite the fact that this probably wasn't how their first time should be, the fact that it was happening filled Lauren with an overwhelming sense of…relief, almost.

"Bedroom," Lauren panted. Bo continued to hold Lauren to her as they maneuvered off the wall, unwilling to take their hands off of each other. They stumbled a few steps before Bo changed course and angled Lauren toward the couch. Lauren's legs hit the back of it and she stumbled backwards, Bo coming down on top of her.

Lauren captured Bo's lips as she pushed Bo's pants down past her hips, trying to remove them without breaking the kiss. "I thought we were going to the bedroom," she said between kisses.

Bo began removing Lauren's pants as well. "Too far," she mumbled. She pulled back and removed Lauren's jeans the rest of the way, and without preamble buried her face between Lauren's legs.

" _Oh fuuuuck…_ " Lauren moaned as she felt Bo's tongue against her. As Bo feasted on her she felt her back arching and her hands reaching down to tangle in Bo's hair. Bo moved her head up slightly as she inserted two fingers into Lauren, pumping into her quickly, making Lauren whimper and bite her lower lip. Bo curled her fingers inside of Lauren, stroking her until she was moaning almost constantly.

"God, Bo…" Lauren breathed. "Oh, God, right there…right there…" The more Lauren talked, the harder and faster Bo moved.

Lauren felt like her blood was on fire. In that moment, Bo was the sum total of her world. She felt Bo's tongue trail over her clit and she arched her back harder.

"Fuck, Bo," she swore, her eyes clamped shut. "Shit, you're amazing…oh, God, you're amazing…" Bo continued to run her tongue across Lauren, and soon Lauren was nearly incoherent, talking out of her head. "God, Bo, don't stop…don't stop…ahhhh God I've thought about you all night…mmmm…"

Bo pulled back, and Lauren almost cried, but Bo kept up the motion of her fingers, keeping Lauren tense and on edge. Bo's eyes were nearly black when she looked at Lauren. "Tell me."

"You were all I wanted to talk about…you're all I thought about…I want to fuck you all the time…" at that, Bo's tongue resumed it's earlier activities. " _Oh, Goddd…_ God, I love your mouth…I love the way your tongue feels against me…your fingers inside of me…oh, God, I want to fuck you all the time…" with each strangled sentence Bo pushed Lauren higher and harder.

"Oh, God, I'm going to come…you're going to make me come…"

"Come for me, baby," Bo said before thrusting a third finger into Lauren and sucking on Lauren's clit.

Lauren's orgasm hit her with the force of a truck, and all she could do was clutch Bo's head and cry out in pleasure as all of her other senses were overridden. It seemed to go on for ages.

Eventually Lauren's senses began to return to her and she became aware of Bo kissing her inner thigh, Bo's fingers languidly moving within her still, slowly, drawing out the last remnants of pleasure.

Lauren was covered in a sheen of sweat as she pulled Bo back up her body and began kissing her, her brain still lost in a post-orgasm haze. She reached her hand back down between Bo's legs and found her nearly dripping. At the first contact of Lauren's fingers, she felt Bo hiss with pleasure and need.

Lauren moved her lips to Bo's neck. "God, you're so wet, baby," she said as she angled two fingers inside of Bo and began pressing immediately on her g-spot.

Bo groaned. "You're so fucking hot when you come." She angled harder into Lauren and felt Lauren use her thumb to run against her clit. " _Holy shit_ ," she groaned. " _Don't stop doing that_." The sound of raw need in Bo's voice emboldened Lauren and she began to stroke Bo harder and faster. Right when Bo was at the edge, Bo turned her head and captured Lauren's lips in a searing kiss. Lauren felt Bo shaking against her as her orgasm washed over her.

Bo and Lauren laid still, tangled together, as they tried to regain their faculties. Bo turned slightly to take some of her weight of Lauren and they squeezed together to lie side by side on the couch.

"So," Bo asked, kissing Lauren's shoulder. "Was that better than your date?"

Lauren laughed and playfully hit Bo's side. When they stopped laughing, Lauren turned her head to Bo. "That was definitely better than the date." Lauren's fingers trailed lazy circles on Bo's arm. "You should be resting, you know."

"Well, I am laying down."

Lauren smiled. "We should probably talk about this."

Bo rested her face on Lauren's shoulder. "Yeah, I guess."

Lauren shifted on the couch and scooted up, pulling Bo with her so they were reclined against the arm. The movement shifted them against each other, and Lauren felt herself getting distracted; Bo was looking at her with those deep, dark eyes, and Lauren found her gaze drifting back to Bo's lips. _We need to talk_ , she told herself. But there was time for that, right? One kiss wouldn't get in the way of that. She leaned into Bo.

Bo's eyes fell closed when her lips made contact with Lauren's. Soon their tongues were rolling together and Lauren felt herself drifting, lost in Bo. She felt Bo's hand on her side and soon felt Bo lifting her slightly, pull Lauren on top of her. Lauren's legs opened to rest on either side of Bo's and Lauren felt Bo gently running her fingers up and down Lauren's spine.

Lauren shifted her own hands to sides of Bo's breasts. She began to rub them and felt Bo swear quietly underneath of her. They were both still wearing their shirts, and Lauren was quickly finding that to be an annoyance.

She pulled back from Bo and sat up, trying to pull Bo's shirt off. Bo got the idea and helped, her hands moving to Lauren's shirt as soon as her own was removed. They came back together immediately when their clothes were fully gone, and the contact of bare skin against bare skin caused them both to groan.

They continued, kissing and touching, until Lauren felt her blood starting to burn. They needed to stop. "We're supposed to be talking," Lauren mumbled against Bo's lips, unable to fully pull herself away.

She felt Bo's hands leave her back and felt Bo reach between them, her hand moving down before Bo pushed her finger inside of Lauren. Lauren, still sensitive from before, whimpered in pleasure.

"So talk," Bo whispered to Lauren.

" _Oh, shit,_ " Lauren groaned. Bo pushed her finger deeper into Lauren, stroking her, causing Lauren to arch her back and grind down hard against Bo. Lauren barely heard Bo's moan of pleasure over her own, and soon Bo was moving her hand harder, faster. Lauren continued to rotate her hips against Bo, the movement causing the heel of Bo's hand to come in contact with her clit each time. She could hear Bo's ragged breath beneath her and feel Bo moving as well, and she knew that her movement was pushing the back of Bo's hand against her own clit as well.

Lauren pressed down harder. " _Fuck_ , baby," Bo groaned. Hearing Bo's voice only made Lauren press harder.

Within moments they were lost, pressing into each other, feeling the pleasure build higher and higher, until it peaked and they came together, their voices blending into a mix of curses and incomprehensible syllables.

They laid still, panting, trying to come back to themselves for a few minutes. "Dear God, it should be illegal for you to be that good at that," Bo said, her breathing still not normal.

Lauren was draped over Bo. "I don't think I can move," she said against Bo's neck.

"Good, don't," Bo answered.

Lauren smiled. She started coming back to herself a few moments later, feeling like she was returning to earth. "God, I must be crushing you."

"I'm not complaining," Bo replied, putting her hands on Lauren's back and hugging her into her body.

"Should we try to talk about this again?" Lauren asked.

Bo smiled. "I enjoyed the results of the last conversation."

Lauren leaned into Bo and kissed her again. It was meant to be simple, quick, but soon they were starting to fall again. Lauren pulled back. "We have to stop doing that, we get distracted."

"I disagree. I think we should keep doing that," Bo answered, pulling Lauren back in.

They kissed for a while longer before Lauren pulled back again. "Okay, I know I'm crushing you," Lauren said with a light laugh. She pulled herself up, and pulled Bo with her. When they were standing, Bo gathered Lauren back in her arms and kissed her again.

Lauren didn't want Bo to leave, but she knew she needed to act like a grown up and let her go. It was late, and Bo needed to rest. She kept kissing Bo for a few more minutes, trying to gather what she needed to act like an adult. "You really do need to get some rest," Lauren said quietly, her forehead resting against Bo's.

"I was trying to lay down, but you pulled me up," Bo said, with a small smile.

Lauren smiled, her eyes still closed. "You should be in bed." Lauren opened her eyes and looked at Bo.

Bo smiled and nodded. "I probably should. But, you know, just in case something happens, maybe I shouldn't be alone."

Lauren couldn't stop her grin. "No, you should probably be under a doctor's supervision."

"Under a doctor sounds good," Bo murmured, kissing Lauren again.

Coherent thought left Lauren as her tongue tangled with Bo's again.

* * *

I'm pretty sure some of you are going to have thoughts about this one.


	20. Chapter 20

Welcome back! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I love hearing from you, positive or negative, so feel free to let me know how you feel about how things are progressing. I'm using bits from the show for inspiration, but in ways that may not be apparent to anyone but me. Hope everyone is having a good time with this, though.

This opens immediately after the last chapter (more accurately, about 7 hours after the last chapter).

As always, I don't proofread. If you want quality, I may not be the writer for you lol

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm going to have to say carjacking."

"Are you serious? _Carjacking?_ "

"Yeah, definitely carjacking," Lauren said, turning her head to look at Bo. "Is that weird?"

Bo shook her head. "I don't know, I've asked a lot of people that question and I don't think anyone has ever said carjacking."

"What do most people say?"

"Bank robbery is popular. I've had one or two say murder, which kind of weirds me out, if I'm being honest," Bo answered.

Lauren settled back against Bo again. "Well, what's your answer? If you could commit any crime and get away with it, what would you do?"

"Arson, obviously," Bo answered, quickly.

Lauren looked at her again, laughing. " _Arson?_ And I'm weird for saying carjacking?"

"Uh, _yeah_ , because arson is obviously the best choice."

Lauren chuckled, settling back against Bo. "Alright, enlighten me. Why is arson the best choice?"

Bo thought for a moment, her hands lazily stroking Lauren's bare skin. "Because…it's complete power. It's immediate gratification. You start something that completely consumes…it's fascinating. Think of something like a warehouse – something big, and solid, that seems impregnable. All you need is some fuel and an overheated toaster oven and _boom_ , you've taken down something massive."

"Okay, now I'm a little afraid of you, pyro," Lauren said with a laugh.

Bo laughed. "Alright, why don't you justify _carjacking_ since you're so smart."

Lauren considered this for a moment. "Well, I guess the way see it, if you're going to commit a crime you should either go big or go home, right? And if you're doing this for a thrill, for the sake of just _doing_ it, then stealing something that can literally allow you to move at 150 miles per hour seems perfect. It's something you can undo later if you start feeling guilty, because all you have to do is drive it back. It's something you can get away with if you are smart enough to have an extra set of plates with you. If you don't like the car, you can scrap it for parts and get some cash out of it, so it won't be a total loss. Overall, seems like a win-win crime."

Bo sat quietly for a moment. "Wow. You're a criminal."

"It was your game!" Lauren protested. "You can't call me a criminal for answering your question."

"No, I think you're a psychopath. Have you ever taken the psychopath test?"

"The what?"

"It's a completely accurate test to see if you are a psychopath. Developed by a psychiatrist, I'm sure."

"How many questions is it?"

"One."

"I highly doubt this is a recognized and definitive medical test," Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

Bo smiled and shifted them, so she could look at Lauren. "Okay, here it is: a woman goes to her brother's funeral, and while she's there she meets a man she has never seen before. They talk and before the funeral ends, the woman is convinced she has fallen in love with the man, but he leaves before she can learn his name. Two weeks later, the woman murders her sister. The question is, why did she murder her sister?"

Lauren didn't hesitate before answering. "So she can see the man again – if he came to her brother's funeral, he'll come to the sister's right?"

Bo sat back in somewhat stunned quiet. "Wow…you really are insane."

Lauren laughed. "Whatever, that was such an obvious question."

"No, not really."

"Of course it is – it's just a riddle, and riddles always contain the information needed to solve them. The way you framed it, it was designed to make me believe that her sister had some involvement with this man, but that would require me to assume things that aren't in the question, so that has to be wrong. If the man is the important event, then he has to be involved in the solution, and he _has_ to be the important event based on the way the question was organized. You also made a point of saying she didn't know his name, so there would be no other way for her to find him. The best way to see him again would be to recreate the events that led her to meet him in the first place. Since her brother can't die again, another family member has to die. It's the only thing that made logical sense. I would also assume that if the man doesn't come to the sister's funeral, the woman will need to kill someone else close to the brother to see if that more closely mirrors the first funeral." While Lauren spoke, Bo sat quietly, listening, a small creeping across her face. "What?" Lauren asked, noticing Bo's smile.

"You thought all that through in the roughly .5 seconds between my asking the question and your answering it?"

"Well, no…I mean…I don't know, it's just the only logical answer."

Bo laughed. "You're way too smart. And also a psychopath."

Lauren rolled her eyes and settled back against Bo. They were laying in Lauren's bed, the sheets tangled around them. It was almost 6:00a on Sunday morning, and the light outside was tinted and orange-pink with the newborn day. The grass was damp with heavy dew, and it was cold, the March air still clinging to the last remnants of winter, but inside the house Bo and Lauren were warm and wrapped with one another.

"I'm surprised Kenzi hasn't called wondering where you are," Lauren commented after they had been quiet for a bit.

Bo reached for the nightstand and grabbed her cell phone. "I texted her last night and told her I was staying at a friend's house," she said.

Lauren smiled. "A friend's, huh?"

Bo hit the home button on the phone and saw she had a message displaying on the screen. She couldn't hold the small burst of laughter that came from her as she read the message.

"What?" Lauren asked. Bo handed Lauren the phone and she read the text message exchange.

Bo: _Hey, I'm staying at a friend's tonight. I'll see you tomorrow._

Kenzi: _Tell Lauren I said hi._

Lauren laughed. "Wow. She figured that out quick."

Bo shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it was the only logical thing to think."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

Lauren laughed and playfully pushed Bo. Bo leaned into Lauren and kissed her. At first it was giddy and playful, but soon it began to develop into something stronger.

Bo exhaled a breathy sigh as her tongue glided against Lauren's. Dear God, this had to be the most perfect woman in the world. Bo was exhausted. She was fairly certain that her body would collapse in on itself if she attempted to have sex with Lauren again. And yet, as she kissed her, she kept thinking that she was willing to take that risk.

She was about to pull back when she felt Lauren's hands move to her breast, her fingers caressing the side, her thumb ghosting over her nipple. Bo groaned and Lauren shifted, taking Bo's earlobe into her mouth. Bo whimpered, feeling a jolt of arousal shoot through her.

"You seem tense, baby," Lauren said in a low, sultry voice into Bo's ear.

"Maybe because the sexiest woman I've ever met is trying to kill me," Bo whimpered.

"Mmm. As your doctor, I need to advise you to relax," Lauren said, dipping her head and taking Bo's nipple into her mouth.

Bo almost cried at the sensation. There was no earthly way she should be able to even contemplate going another round with Lauren, and yet, as she felt Lauren's mouth against her, she felt the pressure grow between her legs and soon she was squirming against Lauren with wanton need.

"We should probably find the source of your tension," Lauren said against her skin, reaching her hand down between Bo's legs. She ran her finger across Bo, causing Bo to squirm harder. "Hm…what's this?" She dipped her finger inside of Bo, and Bo felt like she couldn't breathe. Her muscles were sore, her legs ached, and yet all she could think about was how Lauren's breasts felt as they moved against her, how perfect Lauren's fingers were as they curled inside of her…

Bo pulled Lauren up and sealed their lips together, her hips still moving, desperate for Lauren. Lauren's fingers continued to move inside of Bo slowly, teasingly. "You're so wet, baby," Lauren said against Bo's lips. "As your doctor, I should probably take a closer look."

Bo was certain she was dying. There was no way she was going to survive this. Lauren lowered her head and took Bo into her mouth, her tongue sliding into Bo, her fingers massaging around Bo's clit. Bo couldn't stop the movement of her hips as she pressed into Lauren, desperate for her in a way she hadn't thought possible.

Bo felt her entire body convulse as she came hard against Lauren's mouth. When the tremors finally stopped, Bo was laying, panting and motionless, as Lauren kissed her way up Bo's stomach, between her breasts, finally ending with a mind melting meeting of their lips.

When the kiss ended, Lauren laid her head on Bo's chest, listening to Bo's pounding heart. "I think you broke me," Bo said, finally.

"You broke me about an hour ago, so you're still doing better than I am," Lauren said, sleepily.

Bo smiled, her hand lightly rubbing Lauren's naked back, and she leaned down to kiss the top of Lauren's head. She breathed in the scent of Lauren's hair and smiled. "I would say we should get some sleep, but I think it's morning," Bo mumbled.

"I'm not a great doctor. You really should have gotten some sleep."

Bo smiled. "Based on your last examination, I can attest to the fact that you are the world's greatest doctor."

Lauren smiled and moved up to look at Bo, leaning on her forearm that was positioned near the pillows below Bo's head. "I'm really glad you came over last night."

Bo laughed. "I wholeheartedly agree." They looked into each others eyes for a few moments. Bo took her hand and ran the backs of her fingers against Lauren's cheek, and Lauren's eyes fell closed for a moment. Bo felt her heart flutter.

Lauren opened her eyes again, and the way the early morning light caught them stole Bo's breath. "God, you're gorgeous," Bo whispered.

Lauren blushed slightly, and dropped her face against Bo's neck. "We should probably get up. You should eat something. We need to shower."

"Mm-hm," Bo said, her eyes dropping closed as Lauren's breath warmed her skin. "We should do all of that."

Lauren nodded, her own eyes closing as well. Before either could speak again, they had drifted to sleep.

* * *

When Bo opened her eyes again the sun was shining brightly. She looked at the clock and saw that it was now 9:58a.

She felt Lauren stir against her, waking up as well. "Hey," she said, sleepily.

"Hey," Bo answered. She yawned and stretched slightly. Lauren moved up and kissed Bo's cheek. Bo smiled and hugged Lauren against her.

"We have to get up, don't we?" Bo asked.

"It would probably be smart. You should eat something."

Bo laughed. "You've burned some calories yourself, you know."

Lauren smiled. "True." Lauren moved off Bo and sat up, stretching her arms and back. "Before we go anywhere, we should probably shower."

"Was that an invitation?"

Lauren laughed. "No. If we do that, I don't think we'll ever leave the house."

"I'm not complaining."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "You can use it first, if you want," she said, standing up and wrapping herself in a robe.

"Hey, why did you do that? I can at least enjoy the view."

"Dear God, you're insatiable," Lauren said with a laugh.

"It's not my fault you look like that," Bo said, standing up as well, and stretching. When she stopped, she saw Lauren staring at her. She smiled. "Looks like I might not be the only one who is insatiable," Bo commented.

Lauren snapped out of her daze and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you're naked and stretching in my bedroom. I think I get a pass for that one."

Bo walked up to Lauren and kissed her deeply. "I'm just saying the offer for a joint shower still stands."

Lauren was lost in the kiss for a moment before she pushed away. "Shower. Food. Focus," she said with a smile.

"I can be very focused," Bo said, drawing Lauren back in.

Lauren gave her another kiss and pushed away. "Shower. Now. Go."

Bo laughed and walked to the bathroom while Lauren walked to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

* * *

Bo walked into her apartment at 2:30p. She needed to go to bed. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

She was crossing the living room when Kenzi startled her by saying, "dear God, it's almost three. You two really go all out, don't you?"

"Geez, Kenzi, you scared me," Bo said, her hand over her chest.

Kenzi patted the couch. "You're not getting out of this that easily. Sit. Spill." Bo dropped on the couch next to Kenzi. "Now, sparing me the explicit details, because, ew, what happened?"

Bo sighed. "It was…I don't know. I don't have words for it."

"That good?"

"That good."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a moment. "So, what, are you two dating, or?"

Bo thought for a moment. "I don't know, really. We were going to talk about it, but every time we tried we got…distracted."

"Ew."

Bo laughed. "I don't know, Kenz, it was just incredible. We stayed up all night, just talking, and laughing, and we didn't talk about anything really, you know? She's just so easy to be around."

Kenzi nodded, listening. She hesitated, not sure what to say next. It was so obvious that Bo was falling for Lauren, but Kenzi knew Bo, and she knew that pointing out that fact could lead to adverse results.

After a few moments, Bo looked up. "And now I need to go lie down for a little bit. If I'm not up by 6 can you come wake me up? I need to work on that," Bo said, waving her hand in the direction of the table that was still covered in her work files.

Kenzi nodded. "I'm going in to cover the bar at 7, I'll make sure you're up before then."

"Thanks, Kenz," Bo said pulling herself up off the couch. She involuntarily grunted as her stiff muscles protested.

Kenzi laughed. "Sounds like you two became naked _best_ friends."

Bo grabbed a pill off the couch and threw it at Kenzi, who continued to laugh.

* * *

Let me know your thoughts. Also, if anyone would like to share what crime they would commit if they 100% knew they would get away with it, I'd love to hear


	21. Chapter 21

Welcome back, everyone! Really enjoyed hearing what crimes you all wanted to commit. You all are criminals.

Hope everyone has a good time with this chapter. Turning up the angst in this one.

Again, as with past chapters, the case (the drunk woman) is an actual case I have. Frankly, that's going to be true for every case that gets mentioned.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren arrived at the sushi restaurant at 12:45p. She tried to tell herself that she had just reached a convenient stopping point in her work, and that was why she left as soon as she did, but the reality was she knew that wasn't true. Since Bo had left on Sunday they hadn't seen each other. They had texted, like they always did, and but they both had been busy early in the week and they hadn't had time for much more than that. And, even though it had only been three days, Lauren found herself missing Bo.

She chose to ignore what that might mean as she walked toward the restaurant door. She knew at some point she and Bo needed to talk, and they would, but the fact was that, for now, Lauren wanted to just enjoy this. She wanted to languish in the beginning of whatever this was, before they got weighed down with labels and ideas of where this was going and all the other specifics that could mess this up.

Lauren was about to reach for the door handle when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw Bo standing behind her. Before she could register more than the fact that it was Bo, Bo's mouth was against hers. Lauren's eyes dropped closed and her hands went to Bo's ribs, pulling her close and holding her there.

Bo felt like heaven, and Lauren's brain became wrapped in a fog of sensation. She felt Bo's hand come up under her face, cupping her jaw, and she sighed.

Through the haze of the kiss Lauren slowly became aware of the noise of the street behind them, and she pulled back, remembering that they were in public. Bo stumbled forward slightly, just a bit, as the kiss broke, pressing her closer into Lauren's body. Lauren opened her eyes and made no move to step back, happy to have Bo this close to her again. Bo licked her lips and opened her eyes to look at Lauren.

"Hi," Lauren said.

"Hi," Bo answered with a giddy smile that Lauren knew was mirrored on her own face. "Sorry to ambush you. I was planning on just saying hello."

"Hello," Lauren said, giving Bo another quick kiss.

Bo reached up and tucked a piece of Lauren's hair behind her ear, and then she stepped back, realizing that standing this closely was leading to temptation. Bo cleared her throat softly. "So, we finally made it for sushi," Bo said as they walked inside.

Lauren looked around at the modern and sparse interior. "I'm excited to try it. The miso was good."

"You barely ate it," Bo said with a laugh.

Lauren shrugged. "What I had was good, though."

After talking to the hostess they settled into their table, looking over the menu.

"Are you still feeling okay?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded. "Yeah, the fever never came back."

"Good. I was worried you'd get sick again, since you didn't get a lot of sleep on Saturday."

The corners of Bo's mouth edged up in a slight smirk. "Yeah, someone did kept me up that night."

Before Lauren could answer, the waitress came over to take their orders. When she left again, Bo leaned her elbows on the table. "So, how's working going today?"

Lauren leaned against the table too, her posture unconsciously mirroring Bo's. "Just the usual. Oh! Did I tell you about the drunk woman?"

"The drunk woman?"

"I'll take that as a no. Okay, so this woman got _plastered_ the other night, and she passed out in a parking lot."

"Her life sounds like it's right on track."

Lauren laughed lightly. "That's not even the crazy part. So, this cop finds her and arrests her – I guess she had a warrant out for her or something. So, he brings her to us and we start an IV to get her sober again, but before we do, we do a blood draw to get her levels. Guess what her blood-alcohol was?"

Bo sat back for a moment, thinking. "Hm…I'm going to say .30?"

Lauren shook her head. "Try again."

".35?"

"Higher."

" _.40?_ "

"Higher."

"Oh, come on, don't you just die after .40?"

Lauren laughed. ".428."

"Jesus," Bo whispered.

"I know, right? She was so drunk that she verbally abused almost all the nurses, and then started smoking in her hospital room."

"Wait, she was _smoking?_ In the room?"

" _I know._ Insane."

"Was she charged?"

"With what?" Lauren asked.

"With being drunk in public. Was she charged?"

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know, we don't get much information about that stuff. I know she was arrested on a warrant, because she's handcuffed to the bed. Other than that, I don't know."

The waitress came back, bringing their food. They started eating, engaging in a relaxed conversation as they did so. By the time they were done, Lauren was surprised to see that almost 45 minutes had gone by.

Lauren sighed, looking at the time. "I guess I need to get ready to go back to work," she said, her voice sounding far less than perky.

"Really?" Bo's voice had the same tone.

"An hour goes by too fast," Lauren complained.

Bo smiled softly at Lauren. "Yeah. Hey, can I say something weird?"

Lauren smiled. "Sure, what?"

"I just…I don't know, these last few days, I know we don't normally see each other every day or anything, but –"

"I missed you, too," Lauren said, cutting Bo off.

"Yeah?" The way Bo said it, Lauren could hear the relief in her voice that she wasn't the only one. It made Lauren smile.

"Yeah."

"I think the gang is getting together on Friday night. Are you free?"

Lauren nodded. "I think Vex said something about that. I'll definitely be there."

"Good," Bo said. They began gathering their things, getting ready to leave. They walked out together and stood on the sidewalk, neither one actually wanting to go. They made small talk for another minute or two, delaying the inevitable.

Finally, when it was clear that it was time to go, Lauren pulled Bo in and kissed her. It was a kiss of longing, a kiss that communicated how little desire Lauren had to return to work. Lauren had her hands tangled in the front of Bo's coat, using it to hold Bo to her. They stopped kissing for a moment, keeping one another close, their breath mingling. "I'll see you Friday," Lauren said quietly.

"That seems really far away."

Lauren smiled. "I know. But it'll be here fast."

Bo put her hand behind Lauren's head and kissed her again. "Promise not to forget about me before then?"

Lauren laughed lightly. "I'll do my best…Beth, is it?"

Bo leaned close to Lauren's ear. "Joke all you want, the next time I get you alone, I'll make sure you say my name."

Lauren shivered and felt a shot of arousal streak through her. "Is that a threat?"

"A promise," Bo said, giving her a last, slow kiss. Bo turned and left after that, leaving Lauren staring after her, her heart hammering.

* * *

On Friday evening, Bo was sitting at the bar at the Dal, munching on pretzels and watching with amusement as Kenzi trained the newest bartender. Kenzi was trying to hide her growing irritation. She was also failing miserably.

"You have to shake it until the tumbler is cold. Strainer – you need to use a strainer. No – wait – you pour from the tumbler, not from the mixing glass. Present it with a napkin." Kenzi smiled and handed the cocktail to the woman at the bar. "Here you go."

"Um, I ordered a rum and coke?" the woman said.

Kenzi tried to hold her composure as she turned to Matt, the new bartender. "She ordered a rum and coke. What did you make?"

"A rum and coke," Matt replied, uncertainly.

"Then why were we shaking it?"

"Because…that's how you make a rum and coke…" Matt's voice was trailing off, quieter and quieter.

"It's made with COKE. Why would we shake that?"

"To make it fizzy?"

Kenzi pointed to the woman's glass. "There is no fizz in that drink. Which I think leads me to my next set of questions."

Bo continued to watch with an amused smile when she felt someone slide onto the stool beside her. "What are we watching?" Lauren asked.

"New bartender. Kenzi's about to implode."

Lauren smiled, snagging a pretzel.

"The drink is called RUM and COKE. What do you think the ingredients are?!"

Lauren laughed quietly, and Bo leaned slightly closer to her, trying to stifle her own laugh. Her left side was pressed against Lauren. Lauren turned her head slightly to speak to Bo so only they could hear.

"How long has this been going on?"

"It's his first night. I'm thinking it may be his last."

"You're hard people to work for," Lauren commented, crunching on another pretzel.

"You handled it pretty well," Bo commented.

"Yeah, but I'm awesome," Lauren said, keeping her eyes on Matt and Kenzi.

Bo couldn't hold back her short burst of laughter. "Yeah, you're right, you are," she said with a smile. "Also, hi," Bo said. She gave Lauren a quick peck on the lips.

"Hi," Lauren answered.

"Alright, just pour a beer for this guy," Kenzi said, directing Matt to the beer taps. Matt grabbed a glass, set it on the rail, and pulled the handle. Kenzi immediately put the handle back up. "Seriously? _Seriously?_ You don't even know how to pour a beer?!"

"It was…going in the…glass…" Matt said, uncertainly.

Kenzi was silent for a few moments, taking steadying breaths. " _Dyson!_ " Kenzi shouted, walking back toward the office.

Matt turned forlornly and looked at Bo. "Chin up, Matt," Bo said.

"I mean, when they asked if I had experience I said yes, because you always say yes in interviews, right?"

"As a general rule you shouldn't lie during interviews," Bo said, eating another pretzel.

"But I'm alright, right? I'll learn," Matt said.

"I doubt you'll have time for that," Lauren said, taking another pretzel herself.

"What?" Matt asked.

Dyson walked out of the office. "Matt, can I talk to you for a second?"

Matt threw a look back at Lauren and Bo before walking back to the office where Kenzi and Dyson were waiting.

"Poor Matt," Lauren said when the office door had closed.

Bo shrugged. "Dyson said he interviewed well, anyway. He'll be alright." She turned to Lauren. "Hi, again," she said, pulling Lauren in for a longer kiss.

"Hi," Lauren said, pulling back.

"I'm glad you came out tonight."

"Me too," Lauren said. She glanced around the bar. "So, I guess I can't order a drink?"

Bo looked down the bar, seeing there was no one left to make drinks. "Of course you can," she said, getting up and walking behind the bar. "What would you like?"

"Rum and coke actually does sound good," Lauren said.

Bo nodded, grabbing the rum. "Shaken or stirred?"

Lauren laughed while Bo started making the drink.

"Hey, are you Bo?" a woman asked, walking up to the bar. Her voice was pinched and agitated.

"Yeah, can I help you?" Bo answered, looking up for just a moment while she returned the liquor bottle to the shelf.

"Uh, can you at least give me your full attention?" the woman said, angrily.

Bo was taken off guard. Who was this? "Um, sure, sorry," Bo said, turning to full face the woman. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm Ashley."

"Hi, Ashley," Bo said. "What can I do for you?"

Ashley stared at Bo for a moment, her mouth gaping. "I'm _Ashley_ ," she said, stressing her name.

Bo nodded slowly. "Okay. Do I know you?"

Ashley laughed derisively. "God, you're such a bitch."

Bo was taken aback. "Oookay…"

"I can't believe you're breaking up my relationship and you have the nerve to stand there like it's nothing!"

Bo looked at Lauren in confusion. "What is she talking about?" Bo asked.

Lauren, bewildered, looked at Ashley and then back at Bo. "I don't have any idea."

Ashley turned to Lauren. "Who the hell are you?"

"Lauren…" Lauren said, uncertainly.

"Well, _Lauren_ , this doesn't concern you, so why don't you butt the fuck out?"

"Hey, whoa, you can't talk to her like that!" Bo said immediately. "Take it down a notch or I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Ashley looked back at Bo, the fury growing on her face. She looked back between Lauren and Bo for another moment. "Oh, _shit_ , are you sleeping with her?!"

Bo looked at Lauren and then back at Ashley. "I'm sorry, _who_ are you?"

"I don't believe this!" Ashley exclaimed. "You don't even care about her! You break up my relationship and you aren't even being _faithful_ to her!" Bo continued to stand in confused silence. "She and I have something really special. _Really_ special. And you go and convince her that she can have something with you, so she cheats on me with you, and all the while you're sleeping with her!" Ashley said, pointing at Lauren at the last "her."

Lauren continued to sit in stunned and confused silence. Her confusion grew when she saw something like understanding break across Bo's face. "You're here about Tamsin."

"Uh, _yeah_ , she told me you two hooked up."

Bo nodded. "Of course she did." She glanced at Lauren who was looking down, confusion evident on her face, mixed with hurt. "But you know what, Ashley? Tamsin told me about you, and you're right, I think what you two have is really special. I was going to break up with her anyway, because I met Lauren," she said, gesturing to where Lauren was sitting. Lauren looked up, the confusion becoming more pronounced. "So, you know what? I'm going to step aside. I think you two have a real shot. You should be together." As she was finishing the speech, she saw the door open and Tamsin step inside. She took one step, saw Ashley at the bar, and spun on her heel, walking back out. "I think you should go call her. Really."

Ashley seemed surprised. "Really? Just like that? You're going to give her up?"

"Absolutely. You two have a shot at something real, I don't want to mess with that."

Ashley smiled slightly, nodding. "We _do_ , you're right."

Bo nodded back. "I'm glad you came in. Sorry for the trouble I cause, I promise I won't interfere."

Ashley hesitated for a moment. "Well…okay, I guess. I guess I should go call her…"

"Absolutely. Go do that," Bo answered.

Ashley nodded and walked out of the bar. Lauren continued to stare at Bo, her expression clearly showing she was lost. Bo put a finger up, signaling Lauren to wait a moment before speaking. "TAMSIN!" she shouted.

Tamsin entered through the back door, trying to look innocent. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"I thought I told you to stop doing this!"

Tamsin put her hands in front of her. "I couldn't get her to leave!" Tamsin answered. "You see how she is!"

"Yes, I saw how she almost attacked Lauren because she thought I was cheating on you with her."

"You two are sleeping together?"

"Not the point, Tamsin!"

"I'm sorry, can someone tell me what's going on?" Lauren asked.

Bo sighed. "So a few years ago Tamsin figured out a sure-fire way to end any potential romantic involvement she wasn't interested in pursuing. While some people try to be adults and opt for honesty, Tamsin just tells people that she and I are together, thus ending the impending relationship."

"It works really well," Tamsin commented.

" _Tamsin!_ " Bo shot back.

Tamsin shrugged. "What can I say? I'm loveable, and bitches be crazy."

"I'm not agreeing with the loveable part," Bo said.

Tamsin's cell phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and then immediately back at Bo. "Why is she calling me?!"

"Oh, I should have mentioned, we just broke up," Bo answered. "Sorry. It wasn't working out. You and Ashley seem to have something really special."

"You Vexed me!"

"You what?" Lauren asked.

"We're breaking up, Tamsin. Maybe Kenzi would be willing to be your fake girlfriend now. I'm out."

"She threatened to stab me the last time I did that."

"Consider this to be me threatening to stab you as well."

Tamsin sighed. "Okay, _fine_. But when this girl goes crazy and I go missing, just know it's on you."

"I can live with that," Bo answered.

Tamsin groaned. "She's calling again. Can't we _please_ be dating just this once? Last time, I swear."

" _No._ "

Tamsin turned to Lauren. "You know, I feel like you and I are getting really close –"

"TAMSIN!" Bo said, cutting her off.

Tamsin sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll _deal_ with her, are you happy?"

"Ecstatic," Bo said, sarcastically.

Tamsin picked up the phone and dialed Ashley's number. While the phone rang, she point at Bo and Lauren. "Oh, and congrats on you two, we were all wondering when that was going to happen." Before Bo and Lauren could reply, Tamsin had walked outside.

Lauren turned to Bo. "Um…"

Bo pulled out another glass. "Shots?"

* * *

I lied about the angst. Just wanted to mess with you all. Let me know what you thought!


	22. Chapter 22

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback! I really do love hearing from you all.

As for this chapter, I'd like to hear from people on how they feel about the pace of this story. Right now, since we're kind of in the building stage of Bo and Lauren, I know things have slowed a lot (previously we were jump at least a week or so a chapter, I think). If me pulling that way back is bothering anyone, just let me know. I haven't really read any other fanfics for this couple, so I don't know how this compares or what the general preference is on this.

Oh, also, this story is my first attempt at writing same-sex love scenes, so sorry if those are also less than they should be. I'm hoping to improve over time.

That being said, I'm also just really enjoying playing with this story, and I want to thank everyone for continuing to indulge me while I do.

Enjoy!

* * *

"He was _terrible!_ " Kenzi slurred.

"He really was. But he was nice," Dyson said.

"Nice doesn't sell drinks!" Kenzi replied.

"Well, I mean, it doesn't hurt…" Dyson commented. "This is the hospitality business."

Kenzi thought for a moment, chewing on her straw. "Okay, so nice might sell drinks, but it doesn't make them."

"I think Ashley might stab me in my sleep," Tamsin said, taking a generous gulp of her drink. "She has the crazy eyes."

"Girls tend to get crazy when the people they're sleeping with lie to them," Bo replied.

"Don't be smug just because you aren't sleeping with a crazy person," Tamsin answered.

"I stabbed someone once," Lauren commented.

Bo coughed, choking mid-sip. "You did what?"

"I want to hear this," Ciara said.

Lauren looked around the table. "Wow, you all believed that? Either you're all way drunker than I thought or I'm an _amazing_ liar."

"Truthfully I can't believe you lot fell for that," Vex said, reclined in his seat.

"How afraid of you do I need to be?" Bo said, turning her head to Lauren.

"Very," Lauren answered solemnly.

Bo grinned and looked at Lauren, momentarily lost in the thought of leaning in to kiss her.

"No!" Tamsin shouted, throwing a pretzel at Bo and Lauren, breaking the trance they were slipping into. "You don't get to be all cute and happy when I'm about to get murdered!"

Lauren blushed slightly. Bo dropped her hand to Lauren's leg, her fingers unconsciously tracing patterns near Lauren's knee. It was a small gesture, but it warmed Lauren's heart. She reached down and threaded her fingers through Bo's under the table, her thumb tracing circles on Bo's hand.

"I've got to say, Tam, I feel like this is mostly your fault," Nate said, eating a chip.

"What part of it is someone else's fault?" Ciara asked.

Nate thought for a moment. "I stand corrected. Tam, this is _entirely_ your fault."

Kenzi smiled and leaned back, snuggling against Nate, who kissed the top of her head.

"Great talk, guys, glad to know you're all on my team," Tamsin said, rolling her eyes.

"We need a new bartender," Dyson said, looking at Kenzi. "Ideas?"

Kenzi shrugged. "What about Lauren?"

"What about me?" Lauren asked.

Dyson looked over at her. "Have you bartended?"

"Not much, really. I can do the basics," Lauren answered.

"Do you know the ingredients in a rum and coke?" Kenzi asked.

"I even know that you shouldn't shake it," Lauren answered with a smile.

"You're literally the most competent bartender we've interviewed tonight," Kenzi said, taking another sip of her drink. "You're hired."

"Lauren has a job," Bo commented.

Lauren shrugged. "I'd be willing to help out some on weekends, if that helps you all out," she said, looking at Bo. She turned to face Kenzi. "I'd probably be better as a bar back, though."

Bo took a sip of her drink. "I can help out more on the weekends, too," she said.

"Funny how you jump back on board to help us when Lauren is going to be here," Dyson commented with a smile.

Bo shrugged. "What can I say, Dyson? She's prettier than you."

Dyson laughed.

* * *

The Dal closed at 2:00a. Vex and Tamsin had left around 1:00a, leaving Dyson, Ciara, Kenzi, Nate, Lauren, and Bo at the end of the night. They all pitched in with cleanup and closing, letting the staff that had worked that evening leave a bit earlier than normal.

Lauren was wiping down tables when Bo walked up to her. "You really don't have to work here, you know. I mean, I know you said you would, but you really don't have to."

Lauren smiled and turned to Bo. "I don't mind. I like being here. And the proximity to your apartment means I might get to see you, too, which is a nice bonus."

Bo smiled, curling her finger under Lauren's chin and lightly urging her forward for a kiss. It was chaste, gentle, but it still made Lauren's heart quicken. Damn, what was this woman doing to her?

"So, we haven't gotten much time alone tonight," Bo said, quietly. "How was your day? Busy?"

"Not terrible," Lauren said.

"So you aren't too tired?"

Lauren looked at Bo and smiled. "Too tired for what, Ms. Dennis?" Lauren asked playfully.

Bo leaned into Lauren and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Lauren melted into her, feeling the relief of finally feeling Bo's tongue after two days apart.

Had it really only been two days? It felt longer.

Bo pulled back and took a shuddering breath. "I'm going to need you to stop doing that if you want us to make it upstairs," Bo whispered.

"What?" Lauren said. Then she realized that her right hand was on Bo's breast rubbing it through her shirt. She slid her hand down. "Oh. Sorry."

Bo smiled. "How fast do you think we can get this place clean?"

"Really fast, I hope," Lauren said. Her brain was wired, on high alert, desperate to be with Bo.

"Kenzi and Nate are going to a wedding tomorrow, so she's staying with him tonight so they can leave early in the morning. She won't be home until Sunday." As she spoke against Lauren's lips, Bo's hand moved to the front of Lauren's jeans, rubbing her through the denim.

"Bo…" Lauren tried to make it sound like a warning, but it came out as a plea.

"I told you I could make you say my name," Bo whispered, kissing Lauren again.

Lauren groaned and pushed herself back. "We need to finish cleaning. Now."

* * *

After the bar was clean, and Nate and Kenzi had left, Bo and Lauren made their way upstairs. Their mouths were together before the door to the apartment was fully shut, and as they made their way to Bo's bedroom they began discarding articles of clothing.

By the time they reached the bedroom they were free from all confines of fabric, and Lauren groaned as she felt Bo's naked flesh against her own.

"God, you should never wear clothes," Lauren whimpered as they pressed together.

Bo fastened her mouth around Lauren's left nipple, drawing a strangled gasp from Lauren. Her tongue ran over it, and Lauren found herself grinding her hips closer to Bo instinctively. Lauren pulled at Bo, bringing her head back up.

"I'll be naked as long as you will be, too," Bo panted as she pushed two fingers into Lauren.

" _God_ , baby," Lauren moaned, reaching down to push her own fingers into Bo.

"Ah, shit, I love it when you call me baby," Bo groaned. They moved onto the bed, immediately resuming their activities.

"I know you do," Lauren said, her lips against Bo's. She was on top of Bo, her legs spread wide to accommodate the fact that Bo's legs were open as well, as they continued to press their fingers into one another.

Bo twisted her hand and pressed Lauren's g-spot, causing Lauren to nearly cry with pleasure. Lauren mimicked the movement, causing Bo to arch her back, exposing her neck to Lauren's mouth. Lauren took immediate advantage, sucking on Bo's pulse point as they writhed in pleasure.

Bo continued to move, and Lauren continued to follow, as Bo taught Lauren how she liked to be touched by touching Lauren. When Bo finally came it was with a strangled scream. The erotic noise washed over Lauren and triggered her orgasm as well, leaving Lauren a quivering mass in Bo's arms.

They laid together, panting, neither removing their fingers, trying to bring their heart rates back to normal. Bo shifted them slightly, so they were lying side by side, and dipped her head to kiss Lauren. It was sensual and gentle at first, tongues gliding together, until Bo and Lauren felt their arousal growing again.

Bo began to move her fingers slowly inside of Lauren, and Lauren did the same. Bo followed Lauren now, copying the movements Lauren made, feeling herself grow wetter each time she heard Lauren sigh or moan.

"You feel amazing," Bo whispered.

It was slow this time, more gentle. They stroked each other, bringing each other to the edge before slowing back down, easing off, trying to prolong the contact as long as possible. Bo tried to focus on Lauren, but it was growing harder and harder to ignore her own building need as Lauren pressed her higher and higher.

"Lauren…" Bo groaned.

"I know. Come with me," Lauren whispered back, pressing her fingers harder and deeper into Bo. Bo copied the movement, and soon they were lost, screaming each other's names, falling into ecstasy.

They fell back, detaching from one another, both covered in sweat and panting.

"God, I really, _really_ missed you," Lauren said with a laugh.

Bo grinned rolling to her side to look at Lauren. "Me too." She leaned into Lauren and they shared a lazy kiss.

"Are we going to sleep tonight?" Lauren asked with a playful smile.

"Later," Bo said, kissing Lauren again. Lauren returned the kiss, feeling happier than she had in days. "Besides, we have all weekend."

"All weekend?" Lauren asked with a slight smirk.

Bo looked slightly abashed. "Yeah, I mean…I mean, I wasn't trying to say –"

Lauren cut Bo off with a kiss. "All weekend sounds perfect."

Bo smiled, and Lauren felt warmer at the look of pure happiness on her face. "Really?" Bo asked.

God, how had Lauren gotten this lucky? What good karma had she built up that she was naked in bed with this woman? "Really," Lauren repeated, pulling Bo back against her body.

* * *

Lauren woke up with a pounding headache and a dead right arm. She winced slightly as she opened her eyes and the morning light bit against them. In front of her face was mass of dark hair – Bo. Her arm was curled under Bo, holding her back to Lauren's front. For a moment she thought of trying to pull her arm back, but that would make the blood start flowing again and that would soon lead to a horrible feeling of pins and needles as the limb woke back up. More importantly, that would wake Bo, and Lauren had no interest in moving away from her yet.

Lauren shut her eyes against the aching in her head. She should have had a glass of water before going to bed last night. It wouldn't have prevented the hangover, but it would have helped. Of course, she hadn't had water because she had been busy with other things.

She and Bo had stayed up until almost 4:30a, talking, laughing, and enjoying one another. This wasn't Lauren's first sexual experience – she'd been with other women before Nadia, and then, of course, five years with Nadia – but this was unlike any of those encounters. Yes, Bo and Lauren had been drunk last night, so the talking and laughing was at least in part a product of that, but the fact was they were both stone cold sober the first night they spent together, and the same thing had happened.

Bo shifted slightly in her sleep, her naked skin rubbing against Lauren's, and Lauren felt the light stirrings of arousal begin within her. That was new, too. She couldn't remember the last time she had such an insistent and prolonged desire for someone.

She felt Bo stir in her arms. "Hey," she said, letting Bo know she was awake.

Bo rolled over to face Lauren, a smile coming over her sleep-softened features. "Morning." She lifted her hand to her head. "Ow."

Lauren laughed, and then winced when the noise hit her ears. "We drank too much."

Bo nodded, settling against Lauren. "We should take some Aspirin."

"Food might help, too," Lauren commented.

"Mmmm, yes, that is an excellent idea," Bo said, giving Lauren a quick kiss. Her eyes looked more alert now as she smiled at Lauren again. "I like waking up with you here." She laid her hand lazily on Lauren's hip. "And I definitely like waking up with you naked." Bo gave Lauren a longer kiss. When they broke apart, Bo laid her head on Lauren's chest, relaxing against her and Lauren ran her fingers through Bo's hair. "There's a diner not far from here. Want to go there for breakfast?"

Lauren smiled to herself. "That sounds good, but I should probably go home."

She felt Bo hesitate for a moment before saying. "Oh, yeah, sure."

"I need to get some clean clothes."

"Right."

"And a toothbrush, if we're going to spend the weekend together."

Bo sat up and turned to Lauren, her face bright. "Yes! I mean, yeah, totally, you should."

Lauren laughed. "You thought I was bailing on you, didn't you?"

Bo shrugged. "I mean, it's not like we ever talked about it or anything. But I definitely want you to stay. I mean, if you want to…"

Lauren pulled Bo into a kiss, her tongue trailing against Bo's. "I definitely want to," she said in low voice when they separated.

Bo's eyes were dark and she leaned down to kiss Lauren again. They continued to kiss for a while, Bo pressed on top of Lauren, until Bo pulled back taking a gulp of air.

"I don't think I can do this again until we have some food," she said, dropping her face to kiss Lauren's neck.

Lauren laughed. "You say that like it's some kind of moral failing on your part," she responded, trailing the tips of her fingers down the back of Bo's neck.

"Being too depleted to have sex with you? It's not a moral failing, it's a crime."

Lauren laughed again. "In the two nights we've spent together I think we've had sex roughly ten or more times. I think we're doing fine."

"Disagree," Bo said, giving Lauren another kiss. "Okay. Breakfast. Toothbrush. Let's do it."

"And clean clothes," Lauren said as they untangled themselves from the sheets.

"You don't need clothes," Bo said as she stood.

Lauren laughed and rolled her eyes.

* * *

Bo and Lauren spent the morning gathering Lauren's things from her house and having breakfast. By the afternoon they were back at Bo's, lying together naked, talking, joking, and trying to catch their breath. At 3:00p, Bo's cell phone rang. She grabbed it from the nightstand and saw "Kenzi" displayed across the screen.

"Hey, Kenz, how's the wedding?" Bo said, picking up the phone.

"Aisha quit!" Kenzi said without preamble.

"What?" Bo asked. Lauren looked over at Bo.

"She just called, she got in some fight with her roommate and she's moving. She quit. I don't have coverage for the bar tonight, and Dyson can't cover."

Bo sighed. "And you need me to cover."

"Please, please, please, _please?_ Plus, you know, it might be a good night to train Lauren, right?"

Bo glanced over at Lauren, who had looked at Bo when she heard her name through the phone. "I don't even know if she's free tonight, Kenzi."

"Oh, please, I know you two are probably naked on my couch right now. Just ask her."

"We aren't on the couch…"

"Don't care, don't need details. Just ask her."

Bo sighed and turned to Lauren. "Did you want to work your first shift with me tonight?"

Lauren smiled. "Sure, why not," she said.

Bo looked at her with a 'thank you' look and turned back to the phone. "She said she can."

Bo could hear the relief in Kenzi's voice. "You two are the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Bo and Kenzi finished their conversation and got off the phone. "Well, I guess we know what our plans for tonight are," Bo said, turning back to Lauren.

"What time do we have to go in?"

"Around 7. The rest of the staff will handle it until then."

Lauren nodded. "So we only have about 4 hours until then."

Bo grinned. "Waste not, want not."

* * *

At 9:00p Bo was tending bar while Lauren restocked and cleaned glassware. The bar was mostly full and time was passing quickly.

Lauren found herself falling into the rhythms of the bar easily. The customers, for the most part, were regulars and easy to work with. She'd even managed to make a couple of drink when Bo got a rush of orders. It was a nice change of pace from her regular job, mindless tasks that, if you made a mistake, didn't kill anyone.

Bo was talking and laughing with some people who were seated at the bar, and Lauren smiled to herself as she watched. Bo was a natural at these kinds of things. She had an easy way about her that made people like her.

Lauren had just walked out with clean glasses to put under the bar when she heard one of the customers talking to Bo.

"So, what time is your shift over, honey?" the woman slurred out.

Lauren was momentarily taken aback, and she stole a glance at the woman. She was pretty, with dark hair and green eyes.

"Around midnight or one, I think," Bo answered, continuing to mix drinks.

"There's this great party I know about. We should go."

"Oh, really? That sounds fun," Bo said with a smile. "I'd definitely like to go. By the way, you're total is $7.50. What time does it start?"

"11," the woman said, sliding a $20.00 across the bar. "Keep the change."

Lauren felt her heart tighten in her chest. _You two have never said you're exclusive, never even said you're dating_ , she reminded herself. She had no claim over Bo, not really. But still…she didn't want to watch this.

She was about to walk back toward the kitchen when she felt Bo snag her wrist and stop her. "Can my girlfriend come?" Bo asked, still looking at the drunk customer.

The woman froze. "You have a…this is your girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Bo said, nodding and grabbing the money from the counter.

"Oh. Great. Just…great." The woman slid off the stool and walked away.

Bo turned to Lauren with a grin on her face. "Hope you're okay if we skip that party. But, hey, $12 tip!"

Lauren smiled. "Girlfriend, huh?"

Bo blushed slightly. "Oh, yeah, I just, uh…is that okay? I mean, I know we haven't talked about that…" Bo's voice trailed off as she looked at Lauren.

Lauren leaned in and gave Bo a light kiss. "It's definitely okay."

* * *

As always, I love to hear from you


	23. Chapter 23

Hey, guys. I wasn't planning on writing, but my youngest daughter decided she didn't want to sleep last night, so I ended up working on this. I do must of my writing then, so I guess you all should thank her, instead of me, for the quick updates. She's five months old, so I guess it isn't entirely her fault. Fun fact - her name is Charlotte. I actually laughed when I heard Lauren comment that she liked that name on the show.

This is what I would consider a "small moments" kind of chapter, and it isn't very long. Basically it's just a quick snapshot of a moment in the relationship. Hope you all like it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Bo's eyes scanned the document in front of her as a smile spread across her face. It was a grey Thursday in late March, but despite the chilly temperatures of a Spring that refused to warm, Bo was having an amazing day. The morning had started with a plea on a case that she genuinely didn't think was going to work out, so things had started on the right foot, but even better was the fact that when she had come into her office this afternoon there was an opinion from the appellate courts sitting on her desk. It was from a case she had tried months, maybe even a year, prior. She had won, but the defendant had appealed, and as much as she didn't want to acknowledge it, she thought there was a good chance she would lose the appeal.

But today the opinion had been delivered. And she had won.

It was more than winning – because of this decision, case law favorable to the State had been created. That was huge. That was exciting. There were a lot of days when Bo felt like her job was just slogging through the muck of society, but today – today she felt like she had done something good for the victims of certain crimes, something important and permanent, even if most people would never know about it.

She re-read certain parts of the opinion again, verifying to herself that she was right, that she really had won. When she had finished reading the holding three more times, she grabbed her phone and dialed Lauren's number.

"Hello?" Lauren said. Her voice was clipped and agitated.

"Hey, baby, how's your day going?"

"Ugh," Lauren answered.

"What happened?"

Lauren sighed. "It's just…is it so hard to ask for other doctors to be competent? I mean, really? Is that an insane request?"

Bo leaned back slightly in her chair. "Doctor Myer?" she guessed.

"He's completely incompetent!" Lauren exclaimed.

"What did he do today?"

Lauren began recounting the events of her day to Bo, and Bo could hear the barely contained frustration straining her voice. At a few moments Bo could tell that Lauren wanted to raise her voice, but she kept herself in check, always mindful of the fact that even with her office door closed there was a chance she would be heard.

"I just need to get out of here. I need to get away from him for the day. If I have one more interaction with him, I might say something I regret. I mean, it's not enough that he doesn't do his job correctly, he has to belittle me in front of patients? _Really?_ When I'm correcting the errors he made? And the way he talks to the nurses – it's no surprise that nurses have the attitudes that they do about doctors with people like him around."

"I'm so sorry," Bo said, when Lauren paused for a breath.

Lauren's voice softened when she spoke again. "It's not your fault. I'm sorry for unloading."

"Don't be sorry for that. How soon do you get to leave?"

There was a second's pause while Lauren looked at the time. "I can probably get out of here in the next hour. Hopefully I can just work in my office until then."

Bo nodded, even though she knew Lauren couldn't see her. "Well, just get through the next hour, go home, and relax. Once you can get out of there for the day, things will seem better. I promise. Just go home and take a bath or something. Things will be better tomorrow."

Lauren let out a slight breath of laughter. "You promise?"

Bo smiled. "I promise."

* * *

Lauren got home about two hours after getting off the phone with Bo. She hadn't run into Dr. Myer any more, which was a blessing, but her mood was still sour. Still, Bo hadn't been entirely wrong – just leaving for the day had made her feel a little bit better.

More than just leaving, though, she felt slightly better for having talked to Bo. In a way, it didn't make logical sense; talking to Bo hadn't changed anything, but just hearing Bo's voice and telling Bo what was going on seemed to take some of the burden off Lauren. Intellectually Lauren knew that this was a psychological shift, a construct of the mind, where now her burden was shared simply by being spoken, but more than that Lauren felt that it was something intrinsic to Bo herself, something about their connection to one another that had improved her feelings.

For tonight, Lauren just needed to reset. Bo was right – a mental break would make tomorrow seem better. She kicked her shoes off into her bedroom closet and grabbed sweatpants and a tee shirt. Once she was changed, she walked barefoot back to her living room. She would watch TV for a while, then take a bath and maybe read before going to bed early.

She had just settled onto her couch when she heard a knock on her door. She crossed the room to open it, and was surprised to see Bo standing on the other side, holding a bag of groceries.

"Bo, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

Bo smiled. "Hey. I know you had a shitty day, and I'm pretty sure you weren't going to bother to make yourself dinner." Lauren thought back over her plans and realized that Bo was right. "So, I decided to come take care of it for you."

Lauren stepped aside to let Bo in. Bo crossed to the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter. She produced a bottle of wine and handed it to Lauren. Lauren accepted it, looking at Bo, bewildered.

"You're going to cook for me?"

Bo hesitated. "Yes. I'm going to cook. I'm definitely not going to just dump food that was made by someone else into bowls and call it dinner, because I'm an adult, and therefore I know how to cook. Hey, unrelated, can you turn around for a minute?"

Lauren laughed and grabbed wine glasses and bowls out of the cabinet. "So, you don't cook?"

"Only if you want botulism," Bo answered, pulling the food out of the bag.

Lauren smiled and walked back to Bo. "It smells good," she commented.

"I didn't know what you want, so I got a few different things. Everything is of the pasta variety – I figured that was good comfort food. Oh, and I got that cheesecake you like for dessert."

Lauren looked at the food packages. "The cheesecake is from a different place than the pasta."

"Yeah," Bo said. "I knew you liked this one, and the first restaurant didn't have cheesecake on the menu, so –"

"So you went to a second restaurant just so I could have a dessert I mentioned I liked?"

Bo glanced at Lauren and shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Lauren looked a Bo for a few moments and then pulled her in for a long kiss. When Lauren pulled back, Bo was breathless. "If that's how you thank me, I'm going to start bringing you dessert every day."

Lauren laughed and gave Bo a quick peck. "You're incredible."

"I brought dinner. You have really low standards," Bo joked. She started pouring the wine into glasses. "So, tell me more about today."

Lauren groaned. "He shouldn't even have a medical license! He misdiagnosed _appendicitis_."

Bo hesitated. "And that's…hard to do?"

"It's something a first year _intern_ would be able to diagnose! He's been a doctor for, what, 15 years? It's amazing he hasn't killed all of his patients." Lauren continued to tell Bo about her day while Bo transferred the food from containers into bowls. She grabbed two forks from the silverware drawer and walked back to where Lauren was standing, handing her one. "And he has the nerve to act like he's God's gift to medicine or something. It gives the hospital a bad name, honestly, and eventually it could lead to a lawsuit."

"What do the people above you think about him?" Bo asked, twirling pasta around her fork.

"That's the thing, they _love_ him. They treat him like a medical genius. I just don't get it."

Bo and Lauren continued to talk while they ate their dinner. When they were done, Bo grabbed the bowls and carried them to the sink, beginning to wash them.

"You really don't have to do that. You brought dinner, the least I can do is clean it up," Lauren said.

Bo waved her off. "I showed up at your house unannounced. Dinner was my idea. I'm not going to make you clean up after me when I wasn't invited."

"You're always invited," Lauren said with a laugh, taking a sip of her wine.

"I am?"

"You're my girlfriend," Lauren said. "You can come here whenever you want."

Bo smiled. "Be careful, I'll start taking you up on that."

Lauren walked over to Bo and kissed her on the cheek. "Good."

When the dishes were clean, Bo and Lauren sat on the couch. Bo flipped through the channels and landed on Wheel of Fortune, which was almost over.

"Leave it here, Jeopardy comes on next," Lauren said, yawning, leaning against Bo with her head on Bo's shoulder.

Lauren's yawn triggered Bo's, and Bo smiled and dropped the remote, winding her arm around Lauren and rubbing her arm gently. "Does this make us old and boring? Watching Jeopardy on the couch and yawning before 8?"

Lauren snuggled against Bo. "Maybe. Who cares?"

Bo kissed the top of Lauren's head, and Lauren hummed happily. "I don't care either."

The intro music to Jeopardy started, and Lauren and Bo sat quietly and watched, waiting for the game to start. "We've spent all night talking about my day," Lauren said. "What about you?" Bo could hear the edges of sleep tugging at Lauren's voice.

"I'll tell you later," she answered. The game show started, and Bo kept rubbing Lauren's arm until she felt her breathing deepen and Lauren fall asleep against her.

* * *

Lauren woke up at 2:00a feeling groggy and disoriented. The TV was on and Lauren noticed that an infomercial for a blender was playing. She turned her head slightly and found herself reclined on Bo, who was sleeping.

She turned off the TV and gently nudged Bo awake. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," Bo said. "What time is it?"

"About 2," Lauren answered. She stood up and tugged Bo's hand, making her stand as well. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Bo asked, her voice foggy with sleep.

"To bed," Lauren answered.

She kept hold of Bo's hand and led her to the bedroom. She went to her dresser and grabbed a tee shirt for Bo. "What time do you need to be up tomorrow?" she asked, handing Bo the shirt.

"6?" Bo said, stripping off her clothes and dropping Lauren's shirt over her.

Lauren set the clock and crawled between the sheets, signaling for Bo to join her. Bo climbed into the bed and pulled herself close to Lauren. They shared a light kiss before wrapping themselves around each other and sinking back to sleep.

* * *

Thoughts are always welcome


	24. Chapter 24

Hey, guys! I got a question on the last chapter about where we are in time - for reference (and I can do this in more detail if anyone needs it), this chapter opens in early April, and the last chapter was in March.

This chapter spans a little bit of time, so hopefully that is clear in the way I wrote it. This chapter is moving a few pieces into place for something that's coming next. I've actually mostly written the next chapter, but it needs some edits, so that might be a couple days.

Hope everyone likes this one. Enjoy!

* * *

"I can't believe you aren't drinking with me," Vex groused as Lauren took a sip of her coffee. It was a Saturday morning in early April, and the weather was finally showing some warmth. Lauren and Vex sitting outside at a small café, getting ready to enjoy a late breakfast.

"It's 10:00a, Vex, I don't think you can judge me that much for not opting for alcohol."

Vex rolled his eyes and took a sip of his mimosa. "I can judge you, and I chose to. Speaking of judging you, how are things with Bo?"

Lauren laughed. "What do you mean, 'speaking of judging me'?"

"I didn't say I was judging you unfavorably, darling. I'm actually impressed. Kenzi tells me you two have been spending a lot of time together. I didn't think anyone would be able to domesticate our dear Bo. Well done."

Lauren smiled. "I haven't done anything, Vex. We're just getting along. We have fun together."

Vex shrugged. "Say whatever you like, I don't recall her going 'round to Kevin's with lasagna." Lauren took another sip of her coffee. "So, how's the sex?" Vex asked.

Lauren choked on her sip.

"That impressive? Good for you, love."

Lauren wiped the coffee off her face. "Dear Lord, I'm not talking to you about that, Vex."

"I don't see why not. If I recall, you and I used to talk about our sexual experiences quite a bit."

"That was a little bit different, we were talking about it in the context of 'I think I like to sleep with women more than men.' It's not exactly the same thing."

"I don't understand how you can prefer women over men," Vex commented.

"Well, I don't get you, either," Lauren said with a laugh.

"Fair play. So, how is it going with you two?"

"It's…amazing, actually. She's funny, and she's sweet, and she's considerate…she really makes me happy." Vex shook his head, smiling slightly. "What?" Lauren asked.

"I don't know, it's just strange to hear about Bo acting like that. I saw the whole Rainer saga unfold. Sweet and considerate were not on the meu."

Lauren shook her head. "Sweet and considerate is who she is. I'm sure she was that way with him, at least in private."

"Sweet and considerate is who is with _you_ , darling." Lauren thought about that for a moment as the waitress arrived, carrying their food. When the waitress had stepped away, Vex continued. "For what it's worth, I think it's good, the influence you've had on her. The whole Rainer situation was dreadful. She's far more pleasant now."

Lauren quirked an eyebrow at Vex. "What do you mean? She's always been the same to me."

Vex laughed. "She's not always been so light an airy to those of us she wasn't sleeping with. Bo is a closed off person. And when she was with Keven she always struck me as vaguely tired and annoyed. She seems more alive with you. Activated. It's refreshing."

Lauren thought back to the times she had spent with Bo while Bo was dating Rainer and realized that Vex had a point; she had always seemed beaten down and worn out, at least when the subject of Rainer had come up. The thought that Lauren had changed that made her feel happy.

"So, what's going on with you?" Lauren asked, taking a bite of her food. "Met a nice boy to settle down with yet?"

"Ha, ha," Vex said with an eye roll. "But I did meet a nice boy. I can't remember his name. Lovely abs."

Lauren laughed, shaking her head.

* * *

The following Wednesday, Lauren was in her office, working on reports. The day was dragging by at a snail's pace. Lauren typically loved Wednesdays; since starting their lunch meetings in January, they hadn't missed a week. Until today.

Bo had told her on Monday that she wasn't going to be free on Wednesday. It was day three of a weeklong trial, and Bo was barely going to have time to eat, much less to leave and meet up with Lauren. Lauren sighed. Due to this trial she and Bo had barely seen each other. Bo had worked all weekend doing prep, and although they had talked on the phone and texted, it wasn't the same as getting to see each other.

Lauren sighed. She and Bo had plans to see each other on Friday, after the trial was over, but that seemed too far away. As it was, they hadn't seen each other since the Friday before. Yeah, that was only a few days, but they had fallen into a rhythm of seeing each other at least once or twice during the week, so the separation felt more pronounced.

Lauren clicked a few more keys on her computer, her thoughts still trailing over Bo. She needed to stop thinking about her; if she focused on something else, it wouldn't seem that bad. Friday would be here fast. With new resolve, she focused on the computer screen.

* * *

Bo walked back into her office at 12:30. Court had just broken for a lunch break, but she needed to be back by 1:30. The trial was going well, but it was time intensive and tiring. She rolled her shoulders as she made her way back to her office.

She was looking at her phone, texting Lauren, when she walked through the door.

"Hey, stranger," a voice said.

Startled, Bo looked up to see Lauren standing beside her desk. She felt a smile break across her face. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"It's Wednesday," Lauren said. "You couldn't go to lunch, so I brought lunch to you. I figured you didn't bring anything to eat."

Bo smiled. "No, I didn't, actually,"

Lauren started pulling sandwiches and chips out of the bag she had brought. "So, how's it going?" she asked.

"It's going well, I think. The jury seems engaged at least." Bo and Lauren started eating, talking about Bo's trial, and catching up. After they had finished eating, Bo started gathering up the wrappers and throwing away the trash.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Bo said, as Lauren started sweeping crumbs off of the desk.

"It was selfish, really," Lauren said. "I just wanted to see you."

Bo smiled, reaching for Lauren and pulling her in. "I wanted to see you, too." Bo gave Lauren a long kiss, feeling herself relaxing against her. She felt Lauren's tongue and heard herself hum with happiness against Lauren.

They kept kissing for a few long moments before Lauren pulled back, catching her breath. "You have to get ready to go back to court," Lauren said.

"What?" Bo asked, slightly dazed.

Lauren laughed. "You have a case to win."

Bo smiled. "I'd rather stay here."

Lauren gave Bo a soft smile, reaching up to sweep a piece of hair off Bo's forehead. "You're brilliant, and gorgeous, and amazing. You're going to win this case, and then this weekend we're going to go out and celebrate."

Bo smiled, her heart warming in her chest. "And if I lose?"

"You aren't going to lose," Lauren said, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips. "Now go kick some ass."

Bo gave Lauren a last quick kiss before gathering her papers and heading back toward court.

* * *

Late Friday afternoon, Bo was standing in the courtroom gathering her papers and documents. The case was over and she had won. Her adrenaline had been pumping ever since the case had ended while she waited for the verdict, and now that it was finally over, she felt relief and exhaustion settling over her.

After dropping everything off in her office, she grabbed her phone and headed out the door, calling Lauren on the way.

"Congratulations!" Lauren said when she answered the phone.

Bo laughed. "You don't know if I won or not."

"You won," Lauren said with confidence.

Bo smiled. "Yeah, I won."

"Yes! I knew it," Lauren said. Bo could hear the smile in her voice.

"Where are you now?" Bo asked, walking outside.

"Just getting ready to leave work. Did you still feel like doing something?"

"Absolutely," Bo said.

Lauren laughed lightly. "You sound exhausted."

"I'm fine. I still want to see you."

"Well, why don't you come over? I can make us dinner."

"You cook?"

Lauren laughed. "Yes, Bo, some of us have life skills."

Bo smiled at the playful dig. "I'm just glad one of us is domestic. What time should I come over?"

"I'm walking out of work now. Come over now, if you want. If you beat me there, the key is under the mat."

"That is so unsafe!" Bo said, throwing her bag in the car and switching Lauren to speakerphone. "That's the first place a burglar would look."

"No one is trying to break into my house, Bo." Bo felt like she could hear Lauren rolling her eyes.

"Everyone is lax about home security until something happens, and then it's too late," Bo commented.

"Well, luckily I know a really good prosecutor, so I should be fine."

"I'm going to start sending cops to do patrol checks by your house if you don't move that key."

"If I didn't have the key there you wouldn't be able to get into the house until I got home," Lauren pointed out. "It's also useful if I misplace my regular key."

"Why are you misplacing your regular keys?"

"I feel so judged."

Bo and Lauren kept talking while Bo drove to Lauren's house. When she arrived, Bo walked to the door and pulled the key from under the mat. She reached up to insert it in the door, but before she did –

"What the hell, Lewis, your door isn't even locked!"

"It isn't? Weird. I thought I did that," Lauren said, casually.

"I think I'm having a stroke. Is this what a stroke feels like?"

"I don't know your symptoms, but I'm going to guess no," Lauren said.

"Anything could happen to you. This isn't safe."

"Relax, Bo, what criminal wants to break into my house during the afternoon on a weekday? Nothing is going to happen."

"I'm going to send patrols through here."

Lauren laughed. They kept talking until Lauren arrived at the house. Lauren walked in to find Bo in the kitchen, pouring two glasses of wine. "Hey, honey, how was your day?" Bo said with a smile as Lauren dropped her keys on the hook beside the door.

Lauren crossed to where Bo was standing and pulled her in for a kiss. "It's improving."

They began the process of making dinner, laughing and talking as they did so. Lauren was in the process of gathering plates from the cabinet when she heard Bo's cell phone ring.

Bo crossed to her bag and pulled the phone out, checking the caller ID. Lauren glanced up and saw Bo's expression darken as she read the name.

"Everything okay?" Lauren asked, putting the plates on the counter.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, it's nothing," Bo answered, dropping the phone back into her bag. "Nothing important."

"You sure? You look upset."

Bo took a slight breath and smiled at Lauren. "Nothing worth discussing. Dinner smells amazing."

Lauren hesitated for a moment, considering pushing the matter further, but decided against it. They sat down and began eating. Partway through the meal, Bo's phone rang again. This time she made no move to see who was calling.

"Should you check that?" Lauren asked.

Bo shook her head. "No, I'm sure it's nothing important. I'll deal with it later."

Lauren put her fork down and looked at Bo for a moment. "Are you sure everything is alright You seem…off."

Bo sighed slightly and set her fork down as well. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. It's just…a long story. Someone I haven't talked to in a while."

"Kevin?"

"Who? Oh, no, not him, I haven't talked to him in…well, whenever that last time was he came by the bar, I guess." Lauren nodded, and found she somehow felt slightly better that Rainer hadn't had contact with Bo since then. "Just a call I wasn't expecting. I guess it threw me a little. I'm sorry."

Lauren reached forward and put her finger under Bo's chin, raising Bo's head so their eyes met. "You know you can tell me anything, right? If you don't want to talk about this that's okay, but you can if you want to."

Bo smiled. "I know I can."

* * *

Stay calm. Don't jump to conclusions. I'm going to need you all to trust me lol

Feedback is welcome


	25. Chapter 25

Hey, everyone! Thanks for your feedback. It's great to hear how this story is being received.

So, when I started writing this story I had two specific moments in my head - the first was Lauren calling Rainer a dick in chapter one, and the second one appears in this chapter. So, that's fun lol.

Hope everyone enjoys this one. This one is more dramatic than we've been lately, but we still aren't trying to steer toward angst.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren woke up and stretched her arms over her head. It was Saturday morning and Lauren was blissfully aware that she didn't have anything scheduled that she was required to do today. Bo had decided to go home the night before – after a week of trial, Lauren had suggested it, actually. Although Lauren wished she could have woken up with her, she knew Bo needed to rest, and it wasn't a given that she would get it if she stayed with Lauren.

After getting a shower and cleaning up around the house, at about 11:00a, Lauren called Bo, hoping she would have time to spend time together. The call, however, went directly to voicemail. Lauren left a quick message and dropped the phone back on her bed. Lauren was mildly surprised; in all the time she had known Bo, she didn't recall ever calling Bo and finding her phone to be off. With a shrug, Lauren continued with her day.

At 5:30p Lauren headed to the Dal and looked around, trying to find Bo in the crowd. It was strange that Bo hadn't called her back – Bo was typically good about that. She didn't see her, however, and so she walked up to the bar and sat down.

"What's up, Doc?" Kenzi asked, placing glasses under the bar.

"Nothing, just came by to see everyone. Is Bo around?"

"Haven't seen her since yesterday," Kenzi said.

Lauren paused. "Since yesterday?"

Kenzi glanced up. "Yeah, she stayed with you last night, right?"

"No…"

Kenzi looked confused. "No, she had to have been with you. She didn't come home."

 _Who did she stay with?_ The thought was tinged with jealousy, but before it could fester, she saw the look on Kenzi's face and she started to get worried. Kenzi looked genuinely confused and concerned. "You've tried calling her?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren nodded. "I called her a few hours ago and left a voicemail. Her phone was off."

Kenzi pulled her phone out of her pocket and signaled to Lauren that she would be back, walking toward the back office.

"What's going on?" Dyson asked, walking over.

"Oh, uh, just trying to get up with Bo, no one seems to know where she is. Have you heard from her?"

"No, sorry," Dyson said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lauren answered. "Just, you know, Kenzi said she wasn't home last night, just seems weird that no one has seen or heard from her."

"Voicemail," Kenzi said, walking out of the back. She looked worried.

"Don't worry about it, Kenz, you know how Bo can get," Dyson said. "She probably just got wrapped up in something. I'm sure she'll call."

"Yeah," Kenzi said quietly, thinking. "She hasn't had any bad cases lately, has she? I mean, no threats or anything?"

"Threats?" Lauren asked. Now she was starting to feel concerned.

"She's gotten threats from time to time, nothing serious," Dyson answered. "Seriously, I'm sure this is nothing. She'll probably come by any minute."

Lauren's thoughts trailed back to Bo's strange demeanor after the mystery call last night, and for a moment felt irritated with herself for not pushing the matter further. She tried to push the thought from her mind as she smiled at Dyson. "I'm sure she will."

* * *

Within an hour the gang, sans Bo, was gathered at the bar. The mood was upbeat, but Lauren couldn't help checking her phone every few minutes. _Bo, where are you?_ She tried to do it discretely, but she noticed that Kenzi was doing the same thing.

Finally Lauren heard Kenzi's ringtone shout out loudly. Kenzi grabbed for it, and Lauren saw relief wash over her face. "Bo," she said, accepting the call and walking back toward the back office.

Kenzi was gone for a few minutes. Lauren kept stealing glances at the door. Why hadn't Bo called her? Although she was happy to hear that Bo was calling, the time she had been missing still nagged at Lauren.

When Kenzi finally walked back into the main bar, she looked pale.

"Dyson, we need to go," she said, grabbing her jacket off her chair.

"Why, what's up?" Dyson asked.

"She went home."

Dyson froze. "She did what?"

"She's been there since last night. And he's out. We need to leave, now," Kenzi answered.

"Shit." Before Kenzi was done speaking, Dyson was out of his chair, getting his own jacket.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Ciara asked, clearly confused.

"Who's out?" Vex asked.

"Bo went back home. Kenzi and I need to get there. If she's gone back there…I doubt things are good," Dyson answered.

Kenzi didn't say anything, but she gave Dyson a knowing look with seemed to affirm his comment.

Lauren's heart started speeding up. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's, uh…I'll call you later," Kenzi said, grabbing keys from her pocket. She leaned down and kissed Nate, dropping the bar keys into his hand. "Can you lock up for me?"

"Uh, sure…" Nate answered.

"Someone needs to explain what is happening here," Tamsin said.

Dyson and Kenzi shared a quick glance. "Look, we'll explain later, okay? For now, we need to go," Kenzi said.

Dyson leaned down to kiss Ciara. "Later. I promise," he said, and with that, Dyson and Kenzi were out the door.

* * *

Bo sat in the hard plastic chair, watching the beeping monitors flash above her mother's head. She knew she should feel tired, but honestly she just felt wired, jittery. It was 7:10p, and she had been up for…she had lost track at this point. She had checked her phone when she left Lauren's the night before and everything had developed from there. Had she fallen asleep at some point since getting here? She couldn't remember.

Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Lauren. She sighed. She needed to answer, but…how did you explain something like this? Bo felt she had done a fairly good job of not letting Lauren know how truly fucked up her family was. If – when – she found out about this, that was over. Bo didn't want to expose Lauren to any of this. Lauren was too good for this nightmare. She didn't want Lauren to know the disaster she had started dating. But there was really no getting around it, was there?

With a sigh, she hit the button to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Where are you? What's going on?" Lauren's voice was streaked with worry, and Bo hated herself for knowing she was the cause of it.

"It's fine. Everything's…fine," Bo said, trying to make her voice smooth and convincing.

"Kenzi said you went home. She and Dyson seemed pretty alarmed about that. Right after you called, they just took off."

Bo sighed and closed her eyes. "Shit. I told her not to come here," Bo mumbled, more to herself than to Lauren, pinching her fingers on the bridge of her nose.

"Bo," Lauren said, her voice calmer. " _Please._ What is going on?"

"It's just…family stuff. I don't want to drag you through it."

"I'm asking you to. Please."

Bo drew another deep breath. "My family is just…sort of a mess. It's going to be okay. I just felt like I needed to come here and deal with some things. I'll be home in a few days. I promise we can talk more then." It was a lame answer, and Bo knew it, but she was silently begging for Lauren to accept it. Her head ached, she was drained, and she didn't feel like she had the energy to explain everything and then hear the hesitation in Lauren's voice when she tried to think of the right things to say.

"I don't like this," Lauren said, quietly. "I don't like knowing you're there, wherever you are, and that you're alone."

"I'm okay, really. The nurses are around, and –"

"You're in a _hospital?_ " Lauren exclaimed.

Fuck. Bo forgot that she hadn't mentioned that. "Um…"

"Which one?"

Bo drew a deep breath. "It doesn't matter. Look, there was an…incident, and my mom got admitted. I'm just staying here for a little bit to sort things out. She's going to be fine, though, and I'll be home in few days."

"Bo…"

"Lauren, _please_. I know I just took off and I owe you an explanation but…" Bo knew she was begging now, and she spoke quickly as she was suddenly seized with the desire to cry. She really did need to get some sleep.

"Okay," Lauren said, her voice gentle. "Call me, alright? Call me when you know more."

Bo had a moment when she didn't want to get off the phone. She didn't want to talk about what was going on, but…she didn't want Lauren to go. "Are you at home?" Bo asked.

"I'm at the bar. Kenzi and Dyson just left. I guess they're coming to find you."

Bo nodded, even though she knew Lauren couldn't see her. "Hey, I forgot to ask last night, how was that thing at work? With the patient who needed a transplant?" She knew her voice sounded thin and hollow, but part of her mind was chanting for her to just keep Lauren talking. When she heard Lauren talk, things didn't seem as bad.

There was a hesitation before Lauren answered. "He's fine, he's stable. Seems like it's going to work out okay."

"Good," Bo said. "Good."

"Hey, Bo?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lauren's voice was gentle and filled with concern.

"Yeah," Bo answered. "I just…miss you, that's all."

"I miss you, too," Lauren answered.

Bo glanced back at her mother and nodded. She wished Lauren were here, but she also knew that she wanted to keep Lauren as far away from this part of her life as possible. "I'm sorry I just left. I know I shouldn't have done that. I just…reacted, I guess. I didn't think."

"You don't have to apologize," Lauren said. "It's not like you need my permission before going somewhere. I was just worried about you, when I couldn't reach you and I heard that Kenzi hadn't seen you, it scared me."

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry. I'm not good at being a girlfriend."

"You're an amazing girlfriend," Lauren said, her voice betraying slight surprise that Bo was doubting herself in this area. "Since we've been together…being with you is incredible. You just have to remember that you can talk to me."

Bo smiled. "That's the part I'm usually not good about."

"You'll get better," Lauren said.

"I know I don't need permission. But it's also shitty to just leave without telling you and turn my phone off."

"Well…yeah, that's true. I guess I should be angry."

Bo smiled again. "Are you?"

"Furious," Lauren said lightly with a laugh.

Bo was quiet for a moment. "I'm really lucky to have you."

"Yes, you are."

"Thank you," Bo said.

"For what?"

"For…I don't know. Being you, I guess. Just thank you."

"I don't really know how to respond to that," Lauren said, after a moment's hesitation.

Bo sat back in the chair and let her eyes drop closed. "You don't have to."

* * *

At 10:00p, Bo walked out of the front doors of the hospital. Her mother still wasn't awake, but that was probably to be expected. Bo just needed some air, and maybe some coffee.

As she walked out the doors, she was greeted by Dyson and Kenzi, who were getting ready to walk in. "I told you not to come," Bo said, wearily.

Kenzi nodded. "What's going on?"

"She's unconscious. She was awake by the time they got her here, but she was so high I don't think they got much useful information out of her. She went into surgery this afternoon, and that went fine. She'll be alright, I guess."

"What happened?" Dyson asked.

"Jack happened," Bo answered.

Dyson nodded. "When did he get out?"

"A while back; honestly, I'm surprised it too this long for something to happen. Bo looked at the time. "How did you get here this fast?"

"You may have to take care of some speeding tickets for us when you get back," Kenzi joked.

Bo smiled. "She should probably be waking up soon. I don't know if I should let her sleep and come back tomorrow, or if I should go back in and try to deal with her when she wakes up tonight."

"You should probably wait until morning. You look like shit," Kenzi commented.

Bo smiled. "Thanks, that was helpful."

Kenzi wrapped her arm around Bo's shoulders. "Come on, let's go find a room."

* * *

Bo slept fitfully, and by 5:00a she was showered and getting ready to leave for the hospital. She told Kenzi where she was heading, who just groaned her response before going back to sleep. Dyson had been even less responsive, sleeping through the entire morning routine while sharing a bed with Kenzi.

Bo grabbed a coffee from the machine in the hospital before heading into her mother's room. When she walked in, her mother opened her eyes and looked at her.

"Hey," she said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

"Hey," Bo said, placing her bag on the chair beside her as she sat down.

"I'm surprised you came," her mother croaked out.

"Not as surprised as I am," Bo commented. They sat in silence for a few moments. "So, what's the end game here, mom? What's the plan?" Her mother looked at her, quizzically. Bo shrugged. "Just going to wait around until he finally kills you? Going to do it yourself and just overdose? What?"

"Bo…"

"You almost pulled it off this time. They said when they got you here you were almost already gone. A little while longer before the ambulance arrived, and I'd be picking out a casket now."

"Sorry to disappoint," her mother scratched out, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you keep doing this? And why do you keep letting _him_ do this? You know he left you there, right? When the ambulance got there, he was long gone. He didn't even call anyone. Your neighbor, luckily, heard something and called the police. He left you to die. Think about that."

"That isn't true."

"That is true. Those are the facts," Bo said, harshly.

"He loves me," her voice was stronger, but still coarse.

"Bullshit. He doesn't love you. This isn't love, mom!"

Her mother sank back against the bed, the paper mats under the sheet crinkling when she moved. "He loves me and I love him. It doesn't matter what you think."

"So, when he beat you up a few days ago, that was love? Yeah, the doctors told me. Or was it love when he gave you the last hit of heroin? Was that love? Was it love when you were high out of your mind and he beat you up some more? Or was it the last dose, when you were barricaded in the bathroom. Did you know it was laced with fentanyl? It's amazing that alone didn't kill you. Did you know the ambulance crew had to break the bathroom door to get to you? And where was he – oh, that's right, he was _gone_. Was that love?" The edges of Bo's vision were blurring with rage.

Her mother ignored her, refusing to look at her.

"Do you know what love is? It's when you're too busy at work to eat, so your partner brings you food. It's caring more about your partner's bad day than your good day. It's _taking care_ of each other, no questions asked. The person you love is the person who makes you better, makes you _healthier_. The person you love doesn't give you fatal amounts of heroin, beat the shit out of you, and leave you in a dirty bathroom to die."

Her mother looked like she might cry for a moment, and Bo backed off, realizing she was being too aggressive. Bo sighed. "Are you even going to testify against him?"

Her mother looked at her, plaintively. "I love him, Bo. Haven't you ever been in love?"

Bo shook her head. "Love is what I have with Lauren. It isn't this."

Her dropped her head back, closing her eyes. "You just don't understand."

Bo sighed. "You're right, I don't. I'm leaving. Call me if something changes, but I'm not going to watch you kill yourself anymore." Her mother didn't say anything as she stood to leave. "Bye, mom." Bo turned and walked toward the door.

Bo walked to the nurses' station, taking steadying breaths. By the time a nurse addressed her, she felt that she could speak calmly.

"Can I help you with something?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm Bo Dennis, my mom is in room 3507 – I was just wondering if I could find out her prognosis? When she should be able to be released, aftercare, that kind of thing."

The nurse nodded. "Sure, sure," she said, typing into the computer. "It looks like the doctor will be coming around to see your mom later this morning, maybe around 8. If you want to come back then, I'm sure she can answer your questions."

"Thanks."

Bo pushed back from the counter, turning to leave. She would come back and wait for the doctor. Maybe she could even avoid seeing her mom until then. As she took a step, her eyes landed on Lauren.

She was certain for a second that her mind was playing tricks on her – Lauren was hours away, and it wasn't even 6:00a yet. How could Lauren be here? She stood frozen in place for a moment, waiting for the mirage to evaporate.

But it didn't. Lauren stepped closer, and without a word, gathered Bo into a tight embrace.

* * *

Let me know what you think


	26. Chapter 26

Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for all your feedback - you guys are the best, thank you so much for reading.

A lot of you are reviewing from guest accounts, so I can't message you back when you have questions. To answer just a couple that I was asked - about whether I planned on giving this story a real title: I don't know. I'm not opposed to it, but I really haven't thought of a title I like. About how long this story will go: I don't know that either, for now I'm just planning to write until I run out of things to say, or until you all tell me to stop - which, by the way, please do when you all get sick of this story. Also, let me know if there is something specific you would like to see me add, or if there is anything that needs clarification.

This is a pretty long chapter - my daycare was closed, so I was at home with my two girls and had extra time to write while watching the Olympics. My 4 year old hung out with me while I was typing, casually saying "wow, that was impressive" about everything the athletes were doing. Yes, those were her words. To be fair, it really was impressive.

This chapter references something that happened in chapter three, but it's just a small moment from that chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren held Bo close to her. She felt smaller to Lauren somehow. She was clearly exhausted, her eyes were sunken and rimmed with dark circles. Lauren knew that seeing her just walking up had probably been a surprise to Bo, but when Lauren had seen her, the only thought Lauren had was that she needed to hold her.

When she pulled back, Bo looked at her, bewildered. Lauren slid her hand down to Bo's and started pulling her away, walking her down the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" Bo asked.

"I couldn't leave you here alone," Lauren replied simply as they continued to walk.

They made their way downstairs to a small café in the hospital. Lauren sat Bo in a booth and walked to the counter, buying them each a cup of coffee. After preparing them each with the appropriate cream and sugar, she returned to Bo.

"Thanks," Bo said, accepting the cup.

Lauren nodded. "How are you doing?"

Bo shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "You didn't have to come here."

"I know."

"Why did you?"

Lauren smiled, cocking her head at Bo slightly. "Come on, do you really have to ask that?"

"I told you that you didn't have to," Bo said, looking down at her cup.

Lauren nodded. "I know." They were quiet for a few moments. Lauren fiddled with the lid of her cup, and then spoke again. "You don't need my permission to leave," Lauren said, referencing their phone call, "but I don't need your permission to come."

Bo didn't look up, but Lauren could see tears starting to form in her eyes. She got up and pulled her chair to the other side of the table, sitting beside Bo and pulling her in so Bo was resting against her chest.

Lauren reached up and brushed Bo's hair off the side of her neck, touching her lightly. "You're tired," Lauren said. It wasn't a question.

Bo nodded. "I'll be okay."

"You don't have to be, you know. Not with me."

Bo sat up and looked at Lauren for a moment, and then pulled Lauren in, kissing her. When they broke apart Lauren noted that Bo almost looked more like herself. Lauren ran her hand through Bo's hair, brushing it away from her face. "So, do you want to tell me what's been going on?"

Bo sighed. "She's been calling me more," Bo said. She sat back in her chair, angling herself slightly so she and Lauren were facing each other as she played with the side of her cup. "Do you remember that night when Vex invited us all to your house without telling you? The night we met?"

Lauren smiled and nodded. "I remember."

"She called me when I got to your house that night."

"I saw you," Lauren said. "When you were on the phone. You were standing in the yard talking to someone. You looked…tired."

Bo smiled slightly. "That's accurate." Bo sighed. "She and I have never been close, you know? Too much shit in our history, I guess. But for a while she was talking about getting clean, about moving on, and I wanted to believe it. That night when I got to your house she was calling because she'd talked to my dad and he'd 'changed'." She laughed derisively. "If I had a nickel for every time he's 'changed' I could retire already."

Bo took a sip of her coffee, and Lauren sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"Jack – my dad – has been locked up for a while. Drug distribution. She called me a few months ago to let me know he was getting out. He was in and out of jail when I was little, and when he was out it was worse than when he was in.

"She started talking about how he was different now, how she was clean and so was he, and he was going to move back in and this time it was going to work." Bo shook her head. "It's always the same. She's done this so many times.

"He was released a few weeks ago. At first she was calling, wanted me to know how good things were, but about two weeks ago the calls stopped. I know what that means. They were using, he was beating her – the same old story.

"Friday night, at your house, he called me. That was what made me seem so weird – he never calls me. I know now it was because he'd taken off and he wanted me to do something, I guess to call 911 from home so someone would find her. I didn't take his call, of course. Some neighbor heard something, though, and when they found her she was in the bathroom. He'd beaten her to a pulp, and she had overdosed."

Bo took another sip of her coffee, while Lauren sat still, not knowing what to say.

"I'm amazed they were able to bring her back around, honestly. When I left your house Friday night I got a call from the local police here. I know a few of them. They told me it took two doses of Narcan before she really started taking real, deep breaths. I didn't bother to go home or tell anyone, I just drove here. They're still looking for Jack. He'll turn up in a few days, deny he had anything to do with it. Mom will cover for him. Hopefully he'll have drugs on him when they find him and he can get a parole retake warrant and a probation violation."

"I'm so sorry, Bo," Lauren said. She didn't know what more to say – she was genuinely heartbroken at the nightmare Bo had been dealing with. "Will he be prosecuted?"

Bo shrugged. "Only if they find something on him. No one saw him do anything to her, she'll refuse to testify, they're married so she has a spousal privilege, and so there's no way to prove it without her. For this, for what he did to her? No, he probably won't be."

"I'm sorry."

Bo nodded. "I'm sorry you're stuck here in the midst of this shit." She sighed. "I really…I never wanted you to see any of this. You deserve better than this, than a crappy hospital in the middle of nowhere, than sob stories about abuse and heroin addicts." Bo ran a hand through her hair. "How did you get here so fast, anyway? It's 6:00a. Did you drive all night?"

"When Dyson and Kenzi left, Nate, Ciara, Tamsin, Vex, and I took care of the bar. When it closed, Vex and Tamsin stayed behind to clean and Nate and Ciara came with me here."

"So you've been up all night?"

"We drove in shifts, we each got a little sleep."

"Where are Ciara and Nate?"

"Nate called Kenzi and she told him where you all were staying. We went there, and Dyson told me you had come to the hospital, so I left to find you."

Bo looked like she wanted to cry. "God, I'm so sorry, about all of this. Now I've dragged five extra people into this shit show."

Lauren leaned forward in her seat, wrapping her hands around Bo's. "We're here because we care about you," Lauren said.

Bo sighed. "Can I be selfish for one more minute and tell you I'm really glad you're here?"

Lauren squeezed Bo's hands tighter. "I'm glad, too."

Bo laughed. "Really? You're glad you're _here?_ "

Lauren smiled. "Well, maybe not _here_ , specifically, but glad I'm with you. Have you gotten to talk to a doctor yet?"

"Not today, they told me she was coming in around 8, so I guess I'll go back up."

Lauren nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Bo sat up and looked at Lauren. "You would do that?"

Lauren shrugged. "I mean, I don't want to be in the way or anything."

Bo leaned in and gave Lauren a kiss. "Thank you."

Lauren smiled. "You keep thanking me for no reason."

Bo smiled back. "You keep being you."

* * *

Lauren and Bo kept talking for a bit, drinking their coffee and each ordering a second. Around 6:45a, Bo's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from Kenzi.

 _Just got here. Where are you all?_

 _Café, first floor_ Bo texted back. She looked up at Lauren. "Kenzi's here, I don't know who is with her." Bo tapped her finger on the table, chewing her lower lip. "She should be here."

"Of course she's going to be here, Bo, she's your best friend, she loves you."

"This isn't a healthy place for her. This town…" Bo shook her head. "She shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," Lauren pointed out.

"Yeah, but I kind of have to be."

Lauren rubbed her hand across Bo's leg. "We're here with you, baby. Everything else will be fine."

Bo smiled as Kenzi walked into the café. "Hey, what are they saying this morning?" Kenzi asked as she walked in. She was followed by Dyson, Ciara, and Nate.

Bo sighed. "Seriously, guys, you don't all have to be here. It's a Sat…wait…" Bo thought for a moment, looking at Lauren. "What day is it?"

Lauren smiled. "It's Sunday."

Bo nodded. "Right. You all shouldn't spend your whole Sunday here."

"Oh, we don't? Well, alright, then, I guess we'll just head back, then," Kenzi said, rolling her eyes.

Bo smiled. "Always a smart ass."

"Better than a dumb ass," Kenzi replied.

Bo laughed. It was something they had been saying to one another since they were kids. Kenzi smiled back at Bo. "Alright, but seriously, what's happening?"

Bo sighed. "The doctor is supposed to be here in about an hour or so, so I guess we'll know more then. Basically she had a bunch of internal injuries, and she had overdosed. They dealt with the overdose first, of course, and when she got stable they took her to surgery to repair some of the other stuff. She came through it fine, but she's been groggy and out of it. I talked to her a little bit this morning."

"What was she saying?" Nate asked.

Before Bo could answer, Dyson said, "wait, don't tell me, let me guess – Jack didn't mean it. It was all a misunderstanding. She walked into a door, repeatedly, and he wasn't even there."

Bo nodded. "More or less. I mean, he loves her, right?"

Dyson rolled his eyes. "Good to know she hasn't changed."

"Yeah, really," Bo replied.

"Are you doing alright? Can we get you anything?" Ciara asked.

Bo smiled at her, warmly. "I'm good, thanks. Thank you all so much for coming, you really – it means a lot. But you really don't have to stay. I'm just probably going to talk to the doctors and find out about when she might get discharged, and then, I don't know, maybe I'll leave, too."

"You aren't going to stay?" Nate asked.

Bo shrugged. "I don't know. She doesn't really want me here. I guess I'll just play it by ear."

"If she had surgery yesterday they're going to want to keep her for at least a day or two, depending on what they did. Also, with the overdose, they're going to be monitoring her for any signs of abnormality or additional damage. It could be at least a couple days," Lauren commented.

"Who do you have covering the bar?" Bo asked.

"Vex and Tamsin said they'd work tonight. We haven't figured it out much farther than that," Dyson answered.

"Really? _Vex_ offered to work?" Bo said.

Kenzi smiled. "We're family, babe."

* * *

Bo bought everyone another round of coffee, and then the group left the café and found a waiting room where they could sit and wait without being in anyone's way.

"I abhor hospitals," Ciara commented. "They seem so desolate."

"I've always liked them," Lauren replied. "They feel like their own worlds, like little cities."

"I always get lost in them," Nate said. "It never seems like the hallways line up right. I always end up wandering around."

"I think the last time I was in a hospital was when Bo had her appendix out," Kenzi said. "I'm pretty sure I got lost trying to find her that day."

"Yeah, well, we wouldn't have if Bo had let you drive her," Dyson said.

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked.

Kenzi laughed. "Well, your girlfriend, Wonder Woman, got appendicitis and decided not to tell anyone. She drove herself to the hospital. They offered her pain medicine and she said no, because she had to drive herself home, and then they told her she needed surgery, and she told them to hurry up because she needed to be home later that day."

Lauren turned to Bo. "Are you insane? You needed surgery, and you were talking about driving yourself home that same day?"

Bo shrugged. "I was fine, it was just a little surgery."

"A _little_ surgery?!" Lauren exclaimed.

"Oh, LoLo, this is just how Bo thinks. It's always 'not a big deal' if it's happening to her. When I broke my toe, though, she threatened to call an ambulance," Kenzi said.

"You had a broken bone," Bo pointed out.

"Did you just call me LoLo?" Lauren asked.

"What were they going to do for a broken toe? All they can do is tape it to the one beside it and give you an aspirin!" Kenzi answered Bo.

The gang continued to talk back and forth until Bo glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost 8:00a. Lauren saw her look at the time and leaned toward her. "Time to go up?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Bo answered.

Dyson looked at Bo. "Do you want us to wait here, or go up with you?"

"I bet your mom would _love_ to see me," Kenzi said with a sarcastic smile.

Bo laughed slightly. "Yeah, Kenz, I'm sure that would make everything better. No, why don't you guys just relax, or maybe go get some breakfast. I'll deal with this and find you later."

"Are you sure?" Ciara asked.

"Yeah," Bo answered. "Really, it means so much to me that you all are here, but I can do this part." Lauren squeezed Bo's hand, and Bo turned to her. "Do you still want to come? I doubt I'm going to understand anything this doctor says."

Lauren nodded. "Absolutely. Let's go."

* * *

"You're still here?" Bo's mother said, dully, when Bo entered the room. "I thought you told me you were leaving."

Bo nodded. "I just came to see what the doctor has to say, Mom."

Lauren walked into the room behind Bo. "Who is this?"

"Mom, this is Lauren, Lauren, this is my mother," Bo said, waving her hand between them.

"Hi, Ms. Dennis," Lauren said.

"So, this is 'Lauren', hm?"

"Mom, stop it," Bo said with a sigh.

"No, I'm just interested to meet the woman who has taught my daughter _so much_ about relationships. Apparently being married for over thirty years doesn't make me an authority."

"Wow, right out of the gate," Bo said. "Lauren is a doctor, Mom. I thought it might be helpful to have her hear in case we have questions about what things mean."

"If you're uncomfortable with me being here, Mrs. Dennis, I can wait in the hall," Lauren said.

"I'm sure Bo would rather you stay here. She obviously doesn't want to be alone with me."

Bo sighed. "Stop it, mother."

"I'm a burden to my daughter, you see, Lauren."

"Mother…"

"I'm an embarrassment to her. That's why she had to move so far away from here. She doesn't like to be associated with me. I'm surprised she let you meet me, actually. I suppose it's because she –"

" _Mother_ ," Bo said, firmly, cutting her mother off. " _Please_. I just want to hear what the doctor has to say. Please stop antagonizing me and dragging Lauren into this."

Lauren put her hand on Bo's back. "Why don't I give you two a minute?" Lauren said, softly. "I think my being here might be making things harder."

"You don't have to go anywhere," Bo answered.

Lauren smiled at Bo. "I'll just be in the hall. I'll come back when the doctor gets here."

Lauren ran her hand down Bo's back in reassurance before she stepped out of the room.

"She's pretty," Mrs. Dennis said flippantly when Lauren had stepped out.

"She's smart and she's kind," Bo shot back. "Unlike Jack."

"Don't talk about your father that way."

"I'll talk about him however I want."

"You were always so stubborn."

"I wonder where I got that," Bo said, under her breath.

"Why does it always have to be like this with us? You're always so cold."

"I guess talking to you while you're lying in a hospital bed just takes away the warmth."

"You may not believe this, but one day you'll regret us not being close. One day I won't be around anymore, and you'll regret all of this."

"Oh, I know one day you won't be around anymore. Jack will see to that."

Bo's mother sighed and closed her eyes. "Just because you happen to be in love with a doctor, that doesn't mean that your relationship is better or has more value."

"No. The fact that I'm in love with someone who doesn't abuse me and encourage me to use drugs makes my relationship more valuable. He's killing you, mom. One day he'll finish the job. And you're right – I will regret that we weren't closer. But the fact is that we won't be close until you make some changes. My whole life has been spent watching you do this to yourself. Do you know it took me years to even get to a place where I could have a normal relationship? I'm lucky I found someone like Lauren. She makes me _healthier_ , Mom, do you get that? She's the person who helped me understand that relationships can be more than just shit and pain."

"Life is shit and pain," Bo's mother answered. "The people we love are just the people we slog through it with."

"Cheery." Bo sat quietly, glancing at the clock. "The doctor should be here soon. Maybe we should just sit quietly until then."

"Yeah, maybe we should."

* * *

The doctor arrived around 8:45a. After Lauren re-entered the room, the doctor reviewed Mrs. Dennis' condition and told her she was lucky – a little bit longer before the ambulance crew arrived and she wouldn't have survived. She told her that it would be a few days before she was released. After going over a few more details, the doctor left.

"Well, there you go," Bo said when the doctor had left the room. "You made it out this time by the skin of your teeth."

Bo's mother closed her eyes, sinking back against the pillow on her bed. "Just go," she said. "I need to rest."

Bo nodded and walked out of the room.

Lauren hesitated. "Mrs. Dennis?" she said. Bo's mother opened her eyes. "I'm glad you're going to be alright. I know Bo is, too."

Bo's mother hesitated for a moment. "I…thank you, Lauren. And I'm…sorry, for before. My daughter and I have a complicated relationship."

Lauren nodded. "Okay. That's okay."

"Take care of her." Lauren nodded again, and Bo's mother looked at her harder. "She cares about you. That's a dangerous thing, to care about someone. I should know."

"I won't hurt her," Lauren said.

Bo's mother laughed. "You say that now. Life isn't as pretty as people want to believe."

Lauren hesitated. "You don't have to stay with him, you know. There are people who can help you. You can make a clean break, stop the cycle."

Bo's mother made no reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and slid down slightly in the bed, preparing for sleep. Lauren was about to walk out when Bo's mother spoke again. "Love is dangerous. Love is pain. When you get to be my age, you understand that."

With a sigh, Lauren left the room.

When she made it to the hallway, Bo was leaning against the far wall, waiting for her. Lauren approached her. "Are you doing alright?" she asked.

Bo shrugged. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I've seen worse," Lauren said. "I'm a doctor; I see plenty of battered women."

"He'll kill her, eventually."

"She may be stronger than you think. Don't give up on her."

Bo sighed in frustration. "Why not? She's given up on herself."

"She's your mother, Bo. You obviously care about her – you're here."

Bo wanted to argue, but she knew she didn't have anything she could really say. Lauren was right – she _was_ here, and that meant something, even if Bo didn't want to admit it. Lauren watched Bo fighting with herself, and reached out, taking Bo's face in her hands, and kissed her.

When she pulled back, Bo looked slightly dazed and surprised. "What was that for?"

Lauren shrugged. "I felt like you needed it. Come on, you need to get some sleep." Lauren took Bo's hand and pulled her off the wall, leading her out of the hospital and back to the hotel.

* * *

Let me know what you think


	27. Chapter 27

Thanks for all the feedback! As always, hearing from you all is one of my favorite parts of doing this.

Let me know what you think of this one, too - this is probably the last chapter before we head back to our familiar environment. Unless it isn't. Who knows lol.

Enjoy!

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. After everyone had the opportunity to get some much needed sleep, the group reconvened for dinner, followed by a quick visit to Bo's mother at the hospital. Mrs. Dennis was sleeping, much to Bo's relief, so the group asked a nurse to let her know they had been there, and they left, heading to a dive bar near the hotel.

"Is it a bad sign that we're always spending time in bars?" Ciara asked after the waitress had taken their orders.

Dyson, Kenzi, and Bo downed their drinks, practically in unison. Dyson signaled to the bartender to bring them another rounds. Nate, Ciara, and Lauren looked at them in surprise. "Yeah, if we're going to be here, we're going to need you all to keep up," Kenzi commented.

"You guys might want to slow down, you're going to be trashed before our food gets here…" Nate said.

"As long as we're stuck in this hellhole of a town, we're going to be drinking," Dyson said, handing his empty glass to the waitress who was bringing over their fresh drinks.

"We'll also order a round of shots," Bo said to the waitress.

"Okay, what kind?" the waitress asked.

"Literally anything," Kenzi answered, taking a generous gulp of her new drink.

Lauren leaned forward as the waitress headed back to the bar, resting her forearms on the table. "Alright, just ballpark, scale of one to ten, how worried do we need to be about you three right now?"

Bo gulped her fresh drink. "Sweetie, trust us, we grew up here. You need to drink," Bo answered, pushing Lauren's drink toward her.

"It's weird hearing you call someone 'sweetie'," Kenzi commented. "You barely even used Kevin's first name, much less a cutesy nickname."

Bo shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. The waitress returned, carrying a tray holding six shots.

Bo, Kenzi, and Dyson had downed theirs almost before the waitress had left the table.

"Oookay, I have a feeling we're going to be going back to the hospital later for you three to have your stomachs pumped," Lauren said, sliding Bo's drink away from her.

"I know this looks unhealthy, but what you have to understand is that this town is…" Bo thought for a moment. "How can I put this without exaggerating it? This town is…"

"The geographical equivalent of herpes," Dyson supplied.

"Satan's asshole after eating bad Indian food," Kenzi said.

"Exactly."

Nate, Ciara, and Lauren glanced at each other and, in wordless agreement, pushed their shots toward Kenzi, Dyson, and Bo.

"Hey, I really appreciate everyone coming, but I really do think you all should go back in the morning. You have the bar to run," Bo said.

"You can't stay here by yourself," Dyson said, shaking his head. "We've talked about this."

"I'll stay with her," Lauren said, slightly surprised at the intensity of the hatred Kenzi, Dyson, and Bo seemed to have for their hometown.

"Seriously, what is with the three of you and this place?" Ciara asked, echoing Lauren's thoughts.

"Nothing good has ever happened here," Kenzi said. "This place…I don't know, cursed or something."

"It can't be all bad," Nate commented. "I mean, you three met each other here, that's good, right?"

Dyson, Kenzi, and Bo considered that for a moment. "Yeah…" Bo said, reluctantly. "But still. This town is the worst."

"Amen," Kenzi and Dyson said in unison, raising their shots.

* * *

After dinner, the group returned to the hotel. They had rented two additional rooms. Bo made Dyson and Kenzi promise to leave first thing in the morning, so they said their goodbyes and retired to them.

Lauren steered Bo to their room. Bo was definitely buzzed, no question about it, but she wasn't as drunk as Lauren had expected her to be. If she drank some water, Lauren didn't think she'd even really be hung over in the morning.

Once in their room, Lauren filled a glass of water for Bo and made her drink it. Bo complied, and when she was done they stripped off their clothes and crawled into bed.

Bo was quiet for a bit, running her fingers lightly across Lauren's scalp. Lauren glanced at her and found her looking pensive. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Just that I wish our first weekend away could have been somewhere better than this," Bo said, continuing to run her fingers through Lauren's hair. "Somewhere…fun. Romantic."

Lauren put her finger on Bo's check, gently turning Bo's face to hers so she could give her a lingering kiss. "We have the rest of our lives to have fun weekends. And, besides, this isn't really a vacation, so it doesn't have to count."

Bo looked at her with a half-smile, wondering if Lauren realized what she'd just said. "Still, I would have liked to do something better than this."

Lauren rested her head against Bo's chest. "Alright. What would you have picked for our first weekend away?"

"Hm," Bo said, thinking. "I don't know. Something different. Maybe skiing?"

"Do you ski?" Lauren asked.

"No," Bo said.

"Great trip planning," Lauren said with a laugh.

Bo swatted her back lightly, playfully. "Hey, I might not ski, but it would be fun to be with you in the lodge, in front of a fire…" Bo kissed the top of Lauren's head.

"Why do I feel like your plan for this ski trip would never involve us going outside?"

"Because it wouldn't," Bo confirmed.

Lauren laughed. "A beach would be fun. Sand, sun…a private room with a view of the ocean…"

"I don't think your plan has us going outside either," Bo said.

"No, it doesn't," Lauren said with a laugh.

They were quiet for another few moments. "Okay, maybe not a weekend. You can't go very far in a weekend. Maybe just a trip, a real vacation."

"Okay. Where would we go?"

"I don't know," Bo said, thinking. "I'd want to take you somewhere you hadn't been before. Somewhere that would be interesting, with great food and things to see. Maybe Greece."

Lauren laughed and sat up. "Seriously? Greece? When you plan a trip you really go all out, don't you?"

Bo grinned. "Hey, I just want to give you the best."

Lauren leaned into Bo and gave her a kiss. "You always do."

Bo ran the back of her index finger down Lauren's cheek. "Hey, have I thanked you for coming here, even though I told you not to?"

"Yeah, you have."

Bo leaned in and kissed Lauren, feeling Lauren's tongue against hers. She felt the tension slip out of her shoulders as she ran her hand through Lauren's hair to cup the back of her head. Lauren reciprocated, running her hand across Bo's collarbone and over the top of her breast. They continued for a few more minutes, neither advancing things any further, both just enjoying the feeling of lying together, holding each other.

"You need to get some rest," Lauren said against Bo's lips.

"I don't want rest," Bo answered, pulling Lauren back.

Lauren moved her mouth to capture Bo's lower lip between hers, relaxing into her again and continuing to luxuriate in the feeling of unhurried time. A few minutes later, Lauren pulled back again.

"You're tired, you're stressed, and you need to relax," Lauren whispered.

"This is relaxing," Bo answered, her eyes still closed, her finger tracing the line of Lauren's ear.

Lauren could feel herself falling under Bo's spell. Damn, she was trying to have willpower here. Bo needed to rest, and she had a feeling if they started this, sleep would be pushed back considerably. On top of that, Lauren knew that Bo had a tendency to wake up early when she was stressed out, meaning if Lauren kept her up she wouldn't get much sleep at all. Bo needed to rest. It was important. It was vital to her staying healthy.

But, damn, she felt good.

Lauren ran her fingers across Bo's face, over her cheekbones, down the bridge of her nose, tracing the line of her eyebrows. She saw Bo's eyes relax closed at the light contact, and Lauren could see the weariness in her. Lauren slid up slightly so she was more even with Bo, continuing to run her fingers along Bo's hairline on her forehead, over her jawline.

The more Lauren touched Bo, the further Lauren saw Bo slipping. Bo was trying to fight sleep, Lauren could see that. Lauren could also tell because Bo was trying to distract Lauren by running her own hands against Lauren's breasts now, but Lauren continued on, undeterred.

A few minutes later Lauren saw Bo's breathing deepen. Bo's hands stilled on Lauren's chest, resting against Lauren's breasts unmoving and relaxed.

Lauren continued her ministrations a little longer, making sure Bo was actually asleep. When she finally stopped, Bo made no movement, and Lauren knew for sure that Bo was asleep. Lauren gazed at her for a few moments, watching her face soften with rest, and Lauren felt her heart swell at the peace she saw.

With a note of sadness, Lauren realized she could still see some of the tension in Bo's neck and shoulders, even as her face was relaxed. Kenzi and Dyson were right – it was clear that being here wasn't good for Bo. Based on their behavior at dinner, it wasn't good for any of them. _I need to get her home_ , Lauren thought. _She needs to get away from here._

Lauren reclined against the pillow, letting Bo's hands stay on her. Her motion caused Bo's hands to fall slightly, dropping Bo's hand to the top of Lauren's stomach, under her breasts. Lauren started thinking about the next few days. Mrs. Dennis would be released either tomorrow or the day after, and as soon as she and Bo had figured out what to do with her – should she really go home by herself? Lauren was doubtful she would consent to going to a women's shelter – Lauren would take Bo home and try to convince her to take the rest of the week off work. She needed the break. Lauren could go to work and let Bo rest during the day, and then at night Lauren could cook for them, and they could just spend their evenings doing nothing…

A moment later, Lauren realized that when she thought of Bo going "home," she was thinking of Bo staying with her.

Lauren bit her bottom lip. Bo had a home. She had an apartment. When they went back, that's where Bo would go.

 _Maybe I could convince her to stay with me?_

Lauren sighed to herself. She needed to stop this. She and Bo had been together for, what, a few months now? And, yeah, everything was going well – amazingly well, actually – but Bo had never hidden the fact that she wasn't a "relationship girl."

 _But she is with me._

Lauren and Bo were at the beginning, Lauren reminded herself. Of course everything was going well – they were still at the stage where everything was new and thrilling and exciting.

 _You're lying in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere dealing with her heroin addicted mother. I think you're past the honeymoon moment._

Still, it was too soon to breach the idea of Bo staying with Lauren, short or long term. Bo was a very independent person. She was strong. Yes, she had been good about letting Lauren in more and more, but that didn't change the fact that Bo was fundamentally someone who stood on her own. Actually, it was one of the things Lauren loved about her.

 _Wait. What?_

The thought froze Lauren for a moment. Okay, it was _definitely_ too soon for that. Lauren tried to clear her head.

 _This is a normal reaction to an emotional situation. Of course everything seems more intense and heightened – look at what you're going through together. But that doesn't mean it's time to start making sweeping proclamations. That's what you did with Nadia. Look where that got you._

That had given Lauren five years. Five years, most of them good. Five.

 _Five years isn't enough_.

Lauren really needed to stop thinking about this. She looked back at Bo whose breathing was getting deeper and slower as she sunk deeper into her sleep.

 _Get a grip, Lewis._

Lauren pushed the thoughts away and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to find her.

* * *

The next morning, Bo and Lauren headed to a nearby coffee shop before heading back to the hospital to check in with Mrs. Dennis. While they were standing in line, Bo felt a tap on the shoulder.

Bo turned, and her motion caught Lauren's attention who turned around. Standing behind them was a tall woman in a suit.

"Bo? What are you doing here" the woman said.

"Hey, Angie!" Bo said, giving the woman a quick hug. Bo turned to Lauren. "Lauren, this is Angie Porter, she's a prosecutor here. Angie, this is my girlfriend, Lauren."

"Bo keeps me sane at boring conferences," Angie said with a laugh.

"Nice to meet you," Lauren said with a warm smile.

"So what brings you into town?" Angie asked Bo.

"Just here to see my mom," Bo answered. "She's in the hospital here."

"Oh, wow, I'm so sorry, is everything alright?" Angie asked.

"Yeah, just…you know, things happen. I'm probably only going to be here another day or so."

Angie hesitated for a moment, thinking. "I don't remember, what's your mom's name?"

Bo told her, and Angie stood for another moment, thinking. "Listen, I don't want to…I know this is personal and everything, but I think she's on probation with us."

Bo paused. "She's on probation? For what?"

"She had a case about a year ago as I recall. She got a suspended sentence and probation."

"She didn't tell me that," Bo said, thinking. Angie looked at her quizzically. "She overdosed," Bo said.

"Wow, so this will violate her…" Angie said, thinking.

"What's going on?" Lauren asked.

Bo turned to her. "If my mom was on probation she would have a condition that she can't use illegal drugs. Her positive toxicology from the overdose would violate her probation."

"I haven't made it into the office yet, but I imagine there will be a warrant for her soon."

Something broke over Bo's face, and she started smiling. "Oh, my God," she said. "Vivitrol. She can do Vivitrol."

Lauren was unsure what Bo was talking about. She knew what Vivitrol was, of course – it was a prescription medication that made the user unable to get drunk or high on certain substances. Each dose lasted 30 days. Lauren also knew that it cost roughly $1,000.00 a dose.

"She would be the perfect candidate for it," Angie commented.

"How could she afford it?" Lauren asked.

Bo turned to her. "If it's court ordered the cost could be deferred through the Health Department," Bo answered.

Understanding dawned over Lauren and she understood Bo's excitement. This could be the thing that broke the addiction. If she wanted to get clean, there was a chance she could.

Bo and Angie kept talking for a few more minutes. "Hey, if you want to come by the office with me, we can call the probation agent and see what we can find out," Angie said. "Lauren, you're welcome to come, too."

"You know what, why don't you two go ahead? I'll go back to the hotel and do some work and meet up with you later," Lauren answered.

Bo turned to her. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Lauren said, leaning in to give Bo a quick kiss. She turned to Angie. "It was so nice to meet you, Angie."

"Nice to meet you, too," Angie said.

Lauren bid her goodbyes and headed out of the coffee shop.

* * *

Lauren headed into the hospital. She didn't know how long Bo would be with Angie, but she knew she needed to do this quickly. She hit the button for the elevator and waited impatiently for it to come.

She finally made it to Mrs. Dennis' room. She was awake when Lauren entered.

"Good morning, Mrs. Dennis," Lauren said when she walked in.

Bo's mother was clearly surprised to see Lauren, particularly considering that Bo wasn't with her. "Hello, Lauren."

"Listen, Bo, doesn't know that I'm here, and I want to keep this quick," Lauren said. "There's a chance that you could be a candidate for Vivitrol. I think that you should do it."

"What?"

Lauren sighed. "Vivitrol is a shot. It would make you medically unable to get high for 30 days at a time. It's a tool used to help people with drug addiction. It also helps curb cravings." Bo's mother started to speak, and Lauren put her hand up. "Look, I get it. This is absolutely none of my business. But…I care about your daughter, and your daughter cares about you. I'm just asking you to think about this. It might be an option that you get later, and if you do, I think you should seriously consider it. You deserve better than this, Mrs. Dennis. I don't know you, but I know Bo, so that makes me believe that you must be a good person like she is. If you get this chance, I think it might be something you should do. Not for me, not for Bo, but for you. Just…think about it, okay?"

Bo's mother was stunned and quiet. "Um…"

"I would also appreciate it if you didn't tell Bo I was here," Lauren added.

Mrs. Dennis nodded, not saying anything. With a quick nod, Lauren turned and left.

* * *

Thoughts?


	28. Chapter 28

Hello, everyone. Thanks for your responses to the last chapter - I really like hearing your theories about what's going to happen next, and your thoughts on everything. Just a quick response to something one reviewer said - the person who said they liked knowing how the American legal system worked - I just want to apologize, because I know Lost Girl was not an American show, and this story is aggressively American. Hope that's not throwing anyone too much.

As for this chapter, before I get a lot of angry responses, let me just say this now - breakups don't last forever.

With that, enjoy!

* * *

Bo returned to the hotel in the afternoon and found Lauren sitting on the bed, watching TV.

"Hey," Lauren said when Bo walked in. "What did you find out?"

"Her probation agent has requested a warrant for her for a probation violation," Bo answered. "The judge will probably sign it today. I went by the hospital and talked to her for a while. Whenever she is discharged, it will likely be into custody."

Lauren nodded. "Okay. Then what happens?"

"Basically the prosecutor is going to try to have her held until her violation of probation hearing, which will give her enough time clean to get a Vivitrol shot. She has to consent to it, though – they can't force her to take medication against her will, of course."

"What happens if she doesn't do it?"

"She can get her backup jail time. Basically those are her options – Vivitrol or jail."

Lauren nodded. "How are you feeling?"

Bo thought for a moment. "I'm okay. I'm glad there's a chance she can get clean, if she's willing to try. We'll see if she does."

"Do you think she will?"

"Honestly? I don't know. A big part of me doubts she'll do it. Jail is the easy way out. She's always preferred the easy way."

Lauren was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "Maybe she'll do it this time. If she gets clean, maybe you guys have a chance at repairing your relationship."

"Yeah…" Bo said, slowly, hesitatingly. "I mean…we'll see."

* * *

Bo and Lauren checked out the hotel the next morning, preparing to head home. Bo's mother was getting discharged later that day, but the warrant had been signed and she was being discharged into detention, so they prepared to leave town. They stopped by the hospital before they left. Lauren waited in the car while Bo said her goodbyes, and when Bo was finished, they left.

Lauren stole glances at Bo every few minutes as they drove. The further they got from the town, the more like herself Bo started to look. It was fascinating to see – it was as if physical distance was making her better.

They didn't talk much as they drove, opting to listen to the radio instead. Lauren reclined slightly in her seat, letting her eyes fall closed as the gentle motion of the car lulled her.

She wasn't quite asleep when she heard Bo quietly say. "I know you talked to her."

Lauren opened her eyes, slowly, continuing to look out the windshield. She nodded. "When did she tell you?"

"Yesterday, when I went in after talking to Angie."

Lauren nodded again. "I thought she might." Bo was quiet, giving no reply. After a few moments, Lauren spoke again. "Are you mad at me?"

Bo thought for a second. "I was, at first. But I thought about it for a second, and I realized…you went to her and tried to talk her into taking a medication that could save her life. I mean, what is there to be mad about with that, really?"

Lauren nodded.

"Then I thought, well, maybe I'm mad because you told her not to tell me you were there. But even that…I mean, you didn't really do anything wrong. So what right did I have to be angry at you?"

Lauren shrugged. "You can be angry at me if you want to be. You don't really need a reason. It's an emotion. It's something that just exists. Logic doesn't have to be part of it."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She was quiet for a few more moments. "I'm not angry at you. But I am angry."

Lauren glanced over at her, and Bo continued to look out the windshield. "What do you mean?"

Bo sighed. "Listen…I think we need to talk about something. It's about what you said yesterday, about me and my mom repairing our relationship."

"Okay?"

Bo took a deep breath. "It's just…I think you need to understand…that isn't going to happen, Lauren."

Lauren was quiet, taking in what Bo was saying. "You don't know that. She could get clean, and if she does –"

Bo cut her off. "Even if she gets clean. Even if she leaves my dad. Even if she calls every day and says every right thing and apologize for each individual thing she ever did wrong – it isn't going to matter. She and I aren't going to have a relationship. That's over."

Lauren didn't know how to respond, so she sat, waiting for Bo to continue.

"At first, when she told me you had been there, I couldn't figure out why you had gone. Yeah, you're a doctor, and sure, you want to see people get healthy, but there was no reason for you to go without me. You could give her medical advice with me there. Or you could have told me you were going to go alone, if that was your intent. Also, you told her not to mention you were there. I couldn't figure out why you did that. It bothered me at first. But I think I figured it out. You wanted to give her some power."

Lauren didn't respond for a moment, then spoke. "She's in a hospital, and when she leaves, she's going to jail. She has no power. If she gets treatment just because she's forced to, there's a higher chance the treatment will be unsuccessful. If she does it of her own volition, though, if she decides she wants to be clean, there is a greater chance she'll stay clean. She's powerless – making her feel like she has an option can help that. And asking her not to tell you I was there – it gives her something extra, so she can feel like she's in control of something. I thought there was a chance that could help."

Bo nodded. "I get that, actually. It's not a bad plan."

"Now she can take ownership of her sobriety – it's not something that's just forced on her. It's something she can claim."

Bo didn't say anything for a minute. "I appreciate what you tried to do. Honestly. I know you were coming from a good place. And when she told me – I was angry. I'm still angry. But I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with her."

"Why, because she told you?"

"Because of how she told me." Bo took a deep breath. "You went there to do something good, to try to help. And she…she tried to make it a weapon."

"What do you mean?"

"When I went in, I started telling her about Vivitrol, and her probation, and she just cut me off and said she knew all about it, that you had been there, and that you had told her not to tell me. Then she started telling me how that showed that my relationship with you was no better than hers with my dad, that you were lying to me, that you were going behind my back – all the classics. She wanted to see me break, like she's broken."

Lauren was stunned, saying nothing.

"This isn't the first time she's done something like this. It's her M.O." Bo took a few more deep breaths, thinking some more. "I think…I have a feeling that you believe she and I can fix things, and that maybe one day we can have some fulfilling mother/daughter relationship. But we can't, Lauren. My caring for her extends far enough that I don't want her to die, and that's about it. Even if she became Mary Poppins, I'm not interested. I'm past that now.

"She didn't just get this way. She's been a junkie my _entire life_. She was using before I was born. Having a daughter didn't stop her or slow her down. As ugly as it may sound, I wasn't enough reason for her to get clean. She never loved me enough to try."

Lauren started to protest, but Bo put up a hand to stop her.

"I'm not saying this for pity. It's just the truth. She was never interested in protecting me, or trying to fix things. She let my father beat her, beat me, do whatever he wanted. She didn't care, as long as that needle was full, it didn't matter to her. She doesn't love me, Lauren – she never has. Not really, not the way a mother should love her child, anyway. Love – it isn't that." Bo took another deep breath. "I appreciate what you were trying to do. I really do. But…this isn't something that can be fixed. I'm over it now. For her sake, I hope she cleans up. But if she doesn't…that's on her."

Lauren was quiet for a beat. "I'm sorry," she said, simply.

Bo gave her a small smile, glancing at her for the first time. "You don't need to be. You tried to help and I…you're amazing for doing that. But this isn't something that can be fixed. In a weird way you going there and trying to help, it made me realize just how far gone I am from my mother. The fact that she tried to use you and the good that you were trying to do against me…" Bo shook her head. _She knows I love you_ , Bo thought. _She knows that destroying us would break me. That's what she wanted – to break me._ "There's no coming back for us. We're done. She's on her own now."

"Bo…"

"There's a line, Lauren. Maybe I could have found a way to forgive her for the things she's done to me, or the things she hasn't done for me, but when she tried to use you as a weapon…there's a line. She's crossed it. I'm done now."

Lauren couldn't find anything to say. How do you respond to a conversation like that? She tried to think of something comforting, something that didn't sound trite, but no words came to her. Finally, wordlessly, she reached her hand over to where Bo's was resting on her leg and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a tight squeeze, as they continued to ride home.

* * *

By the time Bo pulled up in front of Lauren's house, Lauren was happy to note that Bo looked mostly back to normal. Tired, yes, but overall she looked like herself again.

"Thus ends the suckiest vacation ever," Bo said with a laugh.

Lauren laughed as well. "Want to come in for a bit? I can make us dinner."

Bo smiled at her. "Really? You aren't sick of me yet?"

Lauren leaned over and kissed Bo gently. "Never. Come on, let's go."

Bo shut off the car and they went inside.

Once inside, Lauren walked to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. "Alright, what do you want to eat? I don't know that I have that much."

Bo walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Lauren's shoulder. "We can just order something."

Lauren let herself lean back slightly, pressing against Bo. She turned her head slightly and her eyes caught on Bo's lips. _Dear God, we just came out of a four hour car ride. How is she this beautiful?_ Lauren reached her hand up to Bo's right cheek, turning Bo's face closer to hers, and kissed her.

Lauren pushed the fridge door closed and turned in Bo's arms, wrapping her own arms around Bo's neck. Soon she found herself pressed against the closed refrigerator as Bo's hands rested on her hips, holding her close.

There was something addicting about Bo, something intoxicating. They kissed how many times in the short time they had been together? And still Lauren felt herself sinking every time. She didn't remember feeling this way with Nadia – yes, being with Nadia had been amazing in its own ways, but this…this was different. This was better.

At some point during the kiss, Bo maneuvered them off the refrigerator and toward the bedroom. Lauren was vaguely aware of Bo leading her, but was also dimly aware that it didn't matter where they were going – if Bo was leading her, she would follow. It was a terrifying thought, in a way, but Lauren chose not to dwell on it. For now, it didn't matter.

Once in the bedroom, Bo and Lauren made quick work of their clothes, falling together into Lauren's bed. They gathered the blankets over them and molded themselves back together, enjoying the feeling of lying together. Their kissing intensified, and soon Lauren felt Bo's hand reaching between her legs. When Bo's fingers met the wetness there, Lauren heard Bo whimper and a burst of arousal flared through Lauren at the noise.

Lauren moved herself down to take Bo's left nipple into her mouth and pressed her own hand in Bo, finding her equally aroused. She heard Bo release a strangled, breathy sigh as Lauren pressed a finger against her, dipping slightly inside. Lauren moved her hand to let her finger graze Bo's clit, and heard Bo mutter, "fucking hell, baby." Lauren grinned, quietly happy with the response, and moved herself back up to kiss Bo fully.

Bo squirmed against Lauren, trying to get more contact. "So impatient," Lauren mumbled against Bo's mouth.

Bo reached down and, without warning, plunged two fingers into Lauren. Lauren stopped breathing for a moment, overwhelmed by the sensation, and soon found her hips moving of their own accord against Bo's hand. "Looks like I'm not the only one," Bo whispered, punctuating the statement by tracing the tip of her tongue over the shell of Lauren's ear. Bo removed her hand from Lauren just as abruptly, and Lauren cried out in protest.

Lauren moved herself so she could push her face between Bo's legs, slowly covering Bo with her tongue, dragging her tongue against Bo's clit firmly. Bo's hips bucked slightly, and Lauren could vaguely hear Bo mumble something, though Lauren couldn't make out the words. She assumed it had something to do with how she wanted Lauren positioned, however, because a moment later Bo was grabbing Lauren and pulling her on top of herself, so that Bo could give Lauren the same attention Bo was receiving.

The feeling of Bo's tongue against Lauren sent Lauren into a frenzy. Her tongue began to work faster against Bo, which spurred Bo to work faster against Lauren. As Lauren moved against Bo, she saw Bo wantonly opening her legs wider, urging Lauren to press against her faster and harder. Lauren was dimly aware of her legs mimicking the motion, driving crazy by the desire to feel Bo's tongue against her as much as possible.

She felt Bo's hands on her hips, using them to anchor Lauren to her and to move her slightly as needed to intensify the contact. For her part, Lauren's hands were holding the inside of Bo's thighs gently, her thumbs gently stroking the skin on either side of her, pulling slightly to open Bo further to her mouth.

Lauren had just pushed her tongue firmly against Bo's clit when she felt the sudden sensation of Bo's tongue pushing into her as Bo flicked her clit with her finger. The action sent Lauren hurtling into climax, causing her to cry out against Bo, pushing her harder between Bo's legs. As she tried to control herself, Lauren found herself sucking on Bo's clit, and a second later became aware of Bo shaking beneath her as her own orgasm thundered through her.

A few minutes later, when they had both recovered slightly, Lauren slid herself off of Bo and turned, pulling herself back up so she and Bo could mold themselves back together in one another's arms.

"Holy shit," Bo said, still trying to recover her breath. "Why have we never done that before?"

"I don't know, but we're definitely doing it again," Lauren answered. Lauren gave Bo a quick kiss and dropped her head to the pillow, trying to recover.

"Do we have to go out for dinner?" Bo asked, lazily kissing Lauren's neck.

"We can have something delivered later," Lauren murmured back, running her hands through Bo's hair.

"Good," Bo answered, "because I don't have any interest in leaving your bed."

Lauren pulled Bo in for another kiss. "Me either."

* * *

Later that night, Bo and Lauren were lying on Lauren's couch, wrapped in a blanket. They'd gotten up and dressed a few hours earlier, ordering a pizza for dinner. After eating, they'd gone to Lauren's couch with the intention of watching TV, but soon found themselves undressed and ignoring the show.

"You should take off the rest of the week," Lauren said.

Bo was wrapped around Lauren, her face near Lauren's neck. "I have to go back to work sometime," she noted.

"Yeah, but you've had a stressful few days. Take some time off."

"Will you take off with me?" Bo said with a smile.

Lauren laughed. "I have to go back. But you could…stay here, if you wanted. Like a close to home vacation."

"A far less sucky one," Bo said with a smile.

Lauren smiled. "Just humor me for a couple days. Just so I know you're eating and sleeping and relaxing."

"Being with you might be counterproductive for sleep," Bo noted.

Lauren laughed. As she pulled Bo tighter against her, movement outside in the street caught her eye. "That's weird," she said, quietly.

"What?"

"I swear that same Crown Victoria has ridden by here like three times now," Lauren answered.

"Oh, that," Bo said. "I told you I was going to start sending patrols by your house."

Lauren balked and started to respond, but before she could Bo leaned up kissed her, and soon all thought went from her mind.

* * *

Yes, the breakup thing in the author's note was just me messing with you. I should probably stop doing that to you all. I doubt I will stop. It's just so easy...

Let me know your thoughts


	29. Chapter 29

Hey, guys. This one is a little shorter than the last few, I think, but we cover a fair amount of time. If any confusion results, let me know. This one is also a bit different in terms of style - as opposed to longer connected scenes, this one has a few shorter moments.

My goal with this story is realism, and I'm trying to keep the relationship feeling like a regular relationship. If my version of realism differs from other people's experience, let me know - I'd actually find it interesting. That being said, hope you enjoy this installment.

Not proofread. But they never are, so I guess that's not news.

* * *

The next morning Lauren crept around her bedroom, trying to make as little noise as possible while getting ready for work. Bo was still asleep in her bed, the blankets twisted around her, the pillow bent into the shape of a U under her head.

It had felt nice waking up next to Bo. It had felt natural. Lauren was almost surprised at how easy it was have Bo around – when she had been with Nadia, waking up and getting ready for work quietly had seemed awkward somehow. With Nadia, it always felt like she had company. With Bo, it didn't feel that way – it just felt like she belonged there.

Lauren took a moment to observe Bo's sleeping form, and with a small smile, turned to leave the room. She was carrying her shoes in her hand, and when she turned, she promptly dropped one, watching powerlessly as it tumbled from her hand and clattered onto the floor.

So much for being quiet.

"What time is it?" she heard Bo groggily ask.

Lauren turned to her. "Early. Go back to sleep."

Bo looked at the clock and bolted to an upright seated position. "Shit, I'm late."

Lauren walked over and gently pushed Bo back toward the bed. "You took today off. Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you up." Bo still looked vaguely disoriented, and Lauren hoped that was a sign that she had slept deeply the night before. Lauren smoothed her hand across Bo's sleep-tangled hair. "There's coffee in the kitchen, help yourself to whatever you want. There isn't much food, but if you can find anything, it's yours. I'll be home tonight." Lauren leaned forward and gave Bo a quick peck.

"Your bed is really comfortable," Bo mumbled, closing her eyes as she sunk back under the blankets.

Lauren smiled. "Good. Take advantage of it. I'll see you later." Lauren got up and walked out of the room. She thought she heard Bo mumble something as she walked away, but when she turned back, Bo was already drifting back to sleep.

* * *

At 12:30p Lauren walked back into her office. Her desk was a mess – somehow being away for two days and created what felt like an insurmountable mountain of work. She was getting through it, slowly, but it was making the day feel tedious and long.

She had just sat back down at her desk when her phone buzzed. "Dr. Lewis?" the voice from the main desk said. "There's someone here to see you."

Lauren picked up the phone. "Who?" she asked. She wasn't expecting anyone today.

"She said her name is Bo?"

Lauren smiled to herself. She should have guessed. "I'll be right down," she said.

Lauren entered the main lobby and found Bo waiting beside the main desk, holding a bag of what appeared to be takeout. Lauren walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.

Bo held up the food. "It's Wednesday," she said, simply.

With a grin, Lauren took Bo by the arm and led her upstairs to her office for lunch.

* * *

Bo spent the night at Lauren's that night, but got up early the next morning to go back to her apartment and get ready for work. She knew Lauren wanted he to take the rest of the week off, but she was already dreading what was probably waiting on her desk. In the early afternoon, her phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

Lauren: _Hey, I was thinking about making fish for dinner. Interested?_

Bo grinned to herself as she texted back: _Absolutely. What do you need me to bring?_

Lauren: _Something store bought. I don't need food poisoning._

Bo couldn't stop the laugh that came from her as she read the message.

* * *

When work ended on Friday, Lauren returned home to grab some clothes and a toothbrush before heading to Bo's. She arrived and entered through the bar, waving to Dyson as she walked by. He gave her a small smile and said "good luck" as she passed him. Not knowing what that meant, she headed upstairs. When she reached the apartment door, she was greeted by the unpleasant odor of smoke and burning plastic.

Lauren walked in and found Bo sitting on a bar stool with a glass of wine, doing something on her phone. She glanced over to the sink and saw what appeared to be smoke rising from it.

"Uh, Bo?" Lauren asked in confusion.

Bo glanced up. "Hey, Sweetie. I'm just ordering a new frying pan off Amazon."

Lauren glanced around the room one more time and found she was no less confused then before. "What the hell happened?"

"I was making dinner," Bo answered simply.

"And you lit a frying pan on fire?"

"Yeah."

Lauren hesitated. "I mean, I didn't even know that was possible…"

"Faulty engineering, I guess," Bo said with a shrug.

Lauren walked over to the sink and looked at the pan. "Were you trying to make…" she looked at the charred contents of the pan and came up empty. "What were you trying to make?"

"Rice," Bo answered.

"Rice," Lauren repeated. "In a frying pan."

"Fried rice," Bo clarified.

"Did you put water in it?" Lauren asked, moving the pan around in the sink.

"Alright, look Julia Child, it's fried rice. A frying pan seemed like the reasonable way to go," Bo answered with a shrug and a smile.

Lauren just shook her head and laughed.

* * *

Three weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, Bo and Kenzi were in their apartment, getting ready for the evening. Kenzi and Nate had plans to go out for a nice dinner, and Bo was preparing to work a shift at the Dal.

"Are you and Lauren staying here tonight?" Kenzi asked as she put on her makeup.

"Yeah, is that okay?"

Kenzi nodded. "Yeah, I figured she would since you all are working together tonight. How's that going, by the way?"

Bo smiled. "Really great."

"Awesome," Kenzi answered. "Crazy, you were with Rainer all that time and it was all fighting and drama, and your with Lauren for like four months and you're already living together. I guess it really just is a matter of finding the right person," Kenzi commented.

Bo paused for a second, looking at Kenzi. "What are you talking about? We don't live together."

"Sure you do," Kenzi answered.

"Uh, no, we don't. We both still have our own places."

Kenzi shrugged. "Well, yeah, I mean, you still have your own places, but you definitely live together. You just live together at two addresses."

Bo shook her head. "You're crazy."

Kenzi balked slightly, staring at her. "Seriously, you don't know this? Sweetie, you two _totally_ live together."

"I think I would know if I was living with my girlfriend," Bo answered.

"Clearly not," Kenzi replied. "There is a litmus test for living together, and you and Lauren totally are."

"Oh, really?" Bo asked. "Please, enlighten me."

"Alright, well, it's similar for the litmus test to figure out whether you're dating someone. When you start seeing someone, you know you're dating when you have a standing date that no one has to ask about. So, at first, one of you asks the other out, you make plans, whatever. When you get to the point that the date is just implied, when no one actually has to ask the other person on a date, then you're dating.

"The test for finding out if you live together is similar. When you're just dating, staying together is something you do sometimes, but it's something that's talked about or planned in some way. When it's just assumed you're going to be together every night, that's living together."

"That's ridiculous," Bo said, shaking her head.

"Oh, is it? Alright then, tell me this. What did you and Lauren have for dinner last night?"

"Lauren made chicken," Bo answered.

"Okay. And how did that planning go?"

"What do you mean? Lauren texted me and said she was going to make chicken, so she made chicken."

"Did she ask you if you were coming over for dinner?"

Bo thought for a moment. "Well…no…"

"Because she knew, right? Because you have dinner together every night. It's assumed that you're going to be together."

Bo didn't answer, thinking for a moment.

"Alright, how about this, when was the last night you weren't together?"

Bo thought. "It was…I guess it was right before I went back for my mom," she answered.

"So, like, four weeks ago?"

Bo shook her head. "No, look, just because we've been spending more time together, that doesn't mean we live together. Isn't there some rule about the amount of closet space or something?"

Kenzi shook her head. "Doesn't count. You and Lauren basically wear the same size. Her closet and yours are interchangeable."

"Oh, _come on_ ," Bo said with a laugh.

"She has her own toothbrush in our bathroom. She has whole milk in our fridge. She's incorporated into the morning bathroom routine. You two live together."

Bo shook her head. "Whatever, crazy," she said, going back to getting ready.

Kenzi shrugged. "Don't believe me? Fine. When Nate and I are done with dinner, we're going to come back to the bar and we're going to present it to the group. Let's see which one of us is right."

Bo glanced at her. "Deal."

* * *

Later that night Bo was working behind the bar at the Dal. Lauren was waitressing and bussing tables. When there was a lull, she wandered up the bar to talk to Bo.

"So she thinks we live together?" Lauren said as Bo wiped down bottles.

"Yeah, she has some theory that because we don't formally invite each other over anymore we live together," Bo said, rolling her eyes.

"That's insane," Lauren said with a laugh. "So she thinks we live together, but we've never talked about it, and neither one of us know about."

"Yeah, pretty much," Bo answered with a smile.

"Your roommate is crazy," Lauren said, smiling.

"Hey, based on her theory, she's your roommate, too," Bo answered.

Just then the doors to Dal opened and Kenzi and Nate entered. Kenzi had a strange look on her face as she dashed toward the bar, putting her hands down on the bar top.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" she said. Her voice was strangely energized and fast.

"Hey, Kenzi," Lauren said, uncertainly.

"You doing alright?" Bo asked.

"I'm _great_ ," Kenzi said, staring at Bo.

"Okay, then…" Bo said. She set her rag down on the counter and froze. "What is that?" she said, pointing to Kenzi's hand.

"Oh, this? This is my engagement ring."

" _Shut up!_ " Bo exclaimed, running from behind the bar to hug Kenzi. Nate walked up, smiling, and Bo pulled him in for a hug as well. "This is crazy! You're getting married!"

" _I know!_ " Kenzi squealed.

"Congratulations," Lauren said to Nate, warmly with a smile.

"Thanks," Nate answered.

Bo and Kenzi continued to ignore them as Bo examined the ring and talked excitedly to Kenzi.

"I think they forgot we're here," Lauren said with a smile.

Nate shrugged. "It's cool. They'll remember eventually," he said, as he looked at Kenzi affectionately. He turned to fully face Lauren. "So, how are you? How's living together going?"

"Oh, for the love of God."

* * *

The bar closed at 2:00a, and when all the customers had left the gang gathered for shots to toast Nate and Kenzi. Kenzi recounted the story of how Nate had proposed, and they continued to drink By 3:00a, they were giddy and drunk.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Kenzi said, putting her drink down. "Group vote. Who thinks Bo and Lauren live together?"

Tamsin, Vex, Ciara, Dyson, Nate, and Kenzi raised their hands.

"And who thinks they don't?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren and Bo raised their hands.

" _Overruled!_ " Kenzi said. "You two live together. The group has spoken."

"We don't live together!" Bo said. "If we did, I think at least _one_ of us would know."

"Clearly not," Vex answered.

"This is crazy. I mean, that's like saying you can be married to someone without ever proposing," Lauren commented.

"Well," Bo said quietly to Lauren, "that is kind of what common law marriage is…"

"Seriously?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged.

"Wait, are you two married?" Ciara said with a laugh.

"No, for common law marriage you have to live together for at least seven years. And Lauren and I don't live together," Bo answered.

"So you'll be common law married in six years and eleven months," Nate said.

"We don't live together!" Lauren and Bo said in unison.

"Prove it," Tamsin said with a smirk.

Lauren glanced at her. "How would we do that?"

"Well, we all talked about going out next weekend to celebrate Nate and Kenzi. Between now and then, you two have to be apart. You can see each other, but no staying with each other. You stay in your own homes."

"I don't see how that proves anything," Bo said. "Nate and Kenzi stay with each other, you don't think they live together."

"We stay with each other three or four nights a week," Nate commented. "Not every night."

"Alright, fair enough," Tamsin said. "You two can stay together, but from Wednesday night to Saturday, you can't. That's three nights apart."

Lauren turned to Bo. "What do you think?"

Bo shrugged. "I mean, if it'll shut them up."

Dyson took a sip of his drink and smirked. "You two are planning out which nights you _aren't_ going to spend together. That proves you live together."

"So, what's the point of this little game?" Bo asked. "How does this prove anything?"

Kenzi thought for a moment. "Alright, how about this – you stay apart for three nights. If you can't do it, you have to admit that you live together."

Bo rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous, and it doesn't prove anything. I'm not doing it."

"So you admit you can't?" Dyson said with a smirk.

"This is nuts. You want me to stay away from my girlfriend for no apparent reason to prove a point?"

"No," Tamsin said, taking a sip of her drink. "We just want you to admit that you live together."

Bo sighed. "Alright, three nights. And then you all stop?"

Vex smiled. "Then we stop."

Bo and Lauren glanced at each other. "Alright, deal," Lauren said.

* * *

Let me know what you think


	30. Chapter 30

Welcome to chapter 30, everyone!

Hope everyone likes this one. I was looking back at some of the old chapters and realized I used to have a pattern to POVs. That feels like a really long time ago. This one continues my new pattern of just throwing out whatever POV strikes me in the moment.

Let me know your thoughts, I really do love hearing what you all think of this story. I'm having a good time with it - hope you all still are, too.

This one is longer than usual, mostly because it took me a while to reach a point that I felt like was a natural break. This may be our longest chapter so far.

Not proofread. Shocker.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Tell me again – why are we doing this?" Bo asked. It was a warm Wednesday in mid-July and Bo and Lauren were having their Wednesday lunch sitting outside a small café near the hospital.

"I think it was to prove a point," Lauren answered, taking a bite of her lunch. "It seemed like it made sense at the time. Of course, we were drunk. Any chance they were all so drunk they forgot about it?"

Bo shook her head. "Kenzi reminded me this morning."

Lauren sighed. "Well, look, it's only three nights. We've gone longer than that without seeing each other. It'll be over fast, they'll leave us alone, and things will go back to normal. It's no big deal."

"Yeah," Bo said. "I guess. It's just annoying." She was quiet for a moment, taking another bite. When she had swallowed, she said, "you know, I could just sneak out. It's not like they'd know."

Lauren laughed. "You aren't fifteen, you aren't going to start sneaking around town in the middle of the night to hook up with your girlfriend."

Bo looked at her for a moment, quietly. "What the hell kind of teenager were you?" she asked with a laugh.

"I was an angel," Lauren answered with a smile and a wink.

Bo sighed. "Oh, _come on_."

"What?"

"You already know I'm not looking forward to being apart for the next three days, so you decide to do that."

"Do what?"

" _That_ ," Bo said, waving her hand at Lauren. "Acting all hot."

Lauren laughed. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, whatever," Bo grumbled. "Maybe Kenzi will go stay with Nate. Then you can come over and they won't know."

"Yeah, I'm sure she's going to leave you unsupervised."

"God, I really do sound fifteen," Bo groaned.

Lauren reached over and covered Bo's hand with her own. "Baby, it's three nights. That's all. It'll be fine." Bo sighed again, and Lauren smiled. "It seems longer than it is. It's a psychological thing – you've built it up in your mind that this is a big deal, and so it seems worse. Trust me. This will be over before you know it."

"I know," Bo said. "I know, it's just a few days, it isn't a big deal. I guess I just don't like knowing I _can't_ see you. I don't like knowing I don't have the option."

Lauren smiled warmly. "Me either."

"Promise to miss me?" Bo said with a smile.

Lauren grinned. "Obviously."

"I might miss you, too," Bo said. "In case that wasn't clear."

Lauren laughed.

They continued eating their lunch, talking, laughing, and enjoying the warm weather. When it was time to leave, Bo and Lauren stood, talking about nothing, prolonging their time. Lauren finally reached and pulled Bo in, giving her a long kiss. It made Bo feel weak, dizzy. When they broke apart, Bo kept her hand against Lauren's neck, keeping her close for another moment.

"Are you sure I can't sneak out?" Bo said, her voice low and breathy.

"Mmm," Lauren hummed, giving Bo another, shorter kiss.

When they broke apart again, Bo stepped back and sighed. "Three days," Lauren said.

"Seventy-two hours," Bo answered.

"God, that sounds so much worse," Lauren groused.

Bo laughed and pulled Lauren in for a last, quick kiss before they parted.

* * *

Bo decided to work late. Since she had started spending more nights with Lauren, she really had avoided staying late as much as possible. Around 7:00p she gathered up a few files to work on at home, turned off her her office lights, and headed home.

When she walked in she was greeted by Kenzi and Nate, who were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Aw, you two are so adorable I could just vomit," Bo said playfully as she dropped her files onto the table.

"Hey, don't be all crabby because you aren't with your live in girlfriend," Kenzi replied. "You're free to go see her, you know, you just have to admit that you live with her."

"I don't live with her. I've been dating her for four months."

"Ciara moved in with Dyson when they had only been dating for six months," Kenzi noted.

"Your point being?"

Kenzi shrugged. "It's different for different couples."

Bo grabbed a beer from the fridge and dropped into the chair near the couch. "Hey, on that subject, what about you two?"

"What about us?" Nate asked.

"Well, you're getting married, so I'm guessing you two are going to live together at some point. Are you moving in here?"

Nate glanced at Kenzi. "I don't know, I guess," he said. "We've never really talked about that."

"It makes sense for you to move in here. It gives me a great commute to work," Kenzi said. "Plus, doesn't your lease expire next month?"

Nate nodded. "Yeah. Okay, cool." He turned to Bo. "Is it alright if I move in here?"

Bo looked at them both and shook her head. "Wow," she said.

"What?" asked Kenzi.

"I mean, I think I took more time trying to decide what pair of shoes to wear this morning," Bo answered.

"And you picked those?" Kenzi asked.

Bo threw a pillow at her. "Nate, you're welcome to live here. Your fiancé might have to go."

Nate nodded. "That's cool. I was really in it for the apartment, anyway."

Kenzi kissed him on the cheek. "That's fine, I was just in it for the bling."

Nate smiled and gave Kenzi a kiss.

"I hate you both," Bo said, shaking her head. "Stop being all lovey and cute."

"Propose to Lauren and you can do the same thing," Kenzi said.

"Whatever," Bo said, rolling her eyes.

Kenzi smiled, reclining against Nate. "I'm really enjoying this," Kenzi said. "I've never seen you this into someone before. I think if someone asked you to spend three nights away from Rainer you would have done a happy dance."

"He got annoying at the end. There were good parts, too," Bo said.

"But even at the height of the good parts, you weren't like this with him," Kenzi pointed out.

Bo took a sip of her beer. "Well, obviously. I mean, I didn't…that was different."

Kenzi smiled. "Different how?"

Bo knew where Kenzi was going with this, and she shook her head. "I think I want to order Thai food. Would my babysitters care to join me?"

"I feel bad letting you buy us dinner," Kenzi said.

"Then pay," Bo answered.

"Not that bad. Where are the menus?"

* * *

After dinner, Bo spent some time working on her files, but overall she found she wasn't in the mood to work. Around 10:00p she told Kenzi and Nate she was going to bed and headed to the bathroom to wash her face.

When she was done, she went into the bedroom and changed her clothes before falling into her bed and grabbing her phone.

She pulled up Lauren's name and typed a text message. _This sucks._ She thought for a moment, and erased it before she sent it.

 _I miss you._ She deleted that, too.

 _Are you sure I can't sneak out and see you?_ Deleted.

 _We don't have anything to prove. I'm coming over._ Deleted.

She sighed and set the phone down in her lap, dropping her arm over her face. A second later, she felt the phone buzz.

Text message, from Lauren. _Penny for your thoughts._

She looked at the message, confused. Before she could answer, another message from Lauren came through. _I was going to text you and I kept seeing the three dots show up that you were typing something to me, but they kept going away. What's up?_

Bo smiled to herself and texted back. _Nothing, just wanted to talk to you. How are you doing?_

Lauren: _I'm okay._

Bo: _Just okay?_

Lauren: _It's weird not having you around. I've gotten used to it._

Bo: _Me too._

They didn't text for a few minutes.

Lauren: _How's your day look tomorrow? We could pretend it's Wednesday._

Bo smiled and texted back, _I wish I could, but my next two days are a mess._

Lauren: _How are your babysitters doing?_

Bo: _Snuggled up on the couch. Annoying._

Lauren: _You sound bitter._

Bo: _I miss you._

Lauren: _I miss you, too. But it's just two more days._

Bo: _Two more days._

They didn't text for another minute or so, and Bo looked at the time. _Hey, don't you have that staff meeting early tomorrow morning?_

Lauren: _Yeah, it starts at 7._

Bo: _You should go to bed. You're going to be tired._

Lauren: _Yeah, I know._

Bo: _I lov_ – she stopped herself and deleted the message. _Sleep well._

Lauren: _You too._

* * *

Lauren woke up the next morning feeling irritable. There should be a rule that no one was allowed to hold meetings before 8:00a. She dragged herself to the shower and did her best to make herself look presentable in the shortest possible time before heading out the door.

Mornings had never been a big problem for Lauren, but still, she had never really enjoyed getting up early. Of the two of them, Bo was probably more of the early riser. Lauren had gotten better about mornings when she was an intern, back when she had to work insane shifts, but since she had become more established she had been able to limit her odd hours and had settled into a more comfortable routine; as a result, getting up this early for a meeting felt like torture.

She grabbed coffee on the way into the meeting and immediately singed her tongue. Perfect. She grabbed a chair and sat down, quietly hoping no one would talk to her.

"Morning, Dr. Lewis."

So much for that.

"Hey, Dr. Evans, how are you this morning?" she said to the dark haired man who taken the seat beside her.

"Thrilled to be here," he said, rolling his eyes. "I never see the point to half of these meetings."

Lauren nodded. She liked Dr. Evans – he was a nice guy, and a good doctor, but she frankly wasn't in the mood this morning.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket.

Bo: _Hope you slept well. Good luck in your meeting._

Lauren smiled, suddenly feeling better. She texted back, _thanks. Did you have a good night?_

She rested her phone on the table in front of her so she could see when Bo texted back. When she looked back up, Dr. Evans was smiling at her slightly. "Good news?"

"What?"

He shrugged and motioned toward the phone. "You just suddenly seemed a lot happier when you got that message."

"Oh," Lauren said, blushing slightly. "Yeah, it was just…nothing, just a nice message."

Dr. Evans nodded.

Lauren's phone buzzed again. _It was fine. Kenzi and Nate slept on the couch. They're really taking this way too seriously._

Lauren: _We need less competitive friends._

Bo: _Amen._

Lauren smiled and looked to back up. Dr. Evans was now talking to whoever was sitting on the other side of him. She wondered for a moment if she should apologize – she had been sort of rude, after all. She was about to say something when she felt her phone buzz again.

Bo: _Save this picture for future blackmail._ Attached was a photo of Nate, sprawled out on the couch, sleeping with his mouth open. Kenzi was lying on top of him, her makeup smeared as she hadn't taken it off before going to sleep.

Lauren laughed to herself as Dr. Walker called everyone's attention to start the meeting.

* * *

Bo and Lauren continued to text off and on throughout the day. By 6:30p Lauren packed up her things and headed home. She stopped on the way and picked up dinner – she didn't feel like cooking just for herself. Once home, she dropped the food onto the counter, ignored, and flopped onto her couch, turning on mindless TV. She was flipping through the channels when she heard a knock at the door.

She had a moment – just a moment – when she felt her heartrate pick up. Maybe it was Bo. She would pretend to protest about her being there, tell her to leave, but she wouldn't put up a real fight. Bo would come in, and they could just go back to normal. Yeah, their friends would give them shit about it, but really, did she care that much? At least Bo would be there. She crossed the room and opened the door.

On the other side was a grinning Vex.

"Oh, hey," she said, leaving the door open and walking back inside, heading toward the kitchen.

"What an overwhelming greeting," he said with a laugh. "What, did you think I was Bo?"

Lauren pulled the food out of the bag. "No, I just wasn't expecting company. I had a long day."

Vex went to her fridge and pulled out leftovers. If anyone else had done it, it might seem strange, but Vex and Lauren had known each other long enough that it seemed normal. Lauren grabbed two plates and started dividing the takeout food.

He pulled out a Tupperware bowl and sniffed the contents. "What is this?"

"Tabbouleh. I made it for Bo to take to work for lunch but forgot to give it to her the other night."

"How domestic of you."

Lauren rolled her eyes.

"So tell me, darling, what happened today that was so terrible?" Vex said, getting them napkins.

Lauren walked her food over to the couch. "Nothing, I guess. Just one of those days. Work was busy. You know how it is."

"I literally don't," Vex answered.

Lauren laughed slightly. "No, I guess you don't."

"I've never understood your Puritan work ethic," Vex commented, sitting beside her.

"Some of us don't have trust funds," Lauren said with a smile.

"I suppose you're right. Dreadful. I don't even want to imagine it." He picked up his fork and tapped it against Lauren's. "Cheers," he said as he dug into the food.

Lauren started eating, with less gusto than Vex. "So you're babysitting tonight?"

"Kenzi had to work," Vex answered, his eyes on the TV.

"You could at least make an effort to hide it, you know," Lauren commented.

"I am nothing if not honest."

"Right. Hey, quick question, the last guy you hooked up with, what did you say your name was?"

Vex thought for a moment. "Rex, I believe. But it's close, so it counts as the truth."

"I don't think you know how 'truth' works."

"Neither do you, you keep lying about living with Bo."

"We don't – you know what? Forget it."

Vex laughed.

* * *

Vex and Lauren spent the rest of the evening hanging out on the couch, watching TV. By 9:30p the combination of the early morning and the food was making Lauren's eyes feel heavy.

"So why don't you live with Bo?" Vex asked. The question was asked sincerely, in a tone that Vex rarely used with anyone but Lauren, a tone that clearly communicated he was sincere in wanting to know. Vex was usually a performer – with Lauren, the act tended to drop.

Lauren thought for a moment. "We haven't been together that long. She's always been clear about being independent. It's too soon for us."

"Is it?"

"What do you mean?"

Vex shrugged. "I mean, you made her Tabbouleh. You spend every night together. It's rare that I see one of you without seeing the other. Aren't you basically doing all the things you are claiming you're trying to avoid doing, just refusing to label them?"

Lauren sighed. "Bo and I…we're in a really good place. We're happy. I don't need labels, and sweeping declarations, and long talks about the future. I just need…her. That's enough."

Vex smiled slightly. "That's sweet."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Don't mock."

"I'm not, truly. If you don't want to label things with her, then don't. I'm just saying I know how Bo is, I've heard all the lines, and learning what we all have about her family, I get it. But admit it or not, she needs you, too."

The thought made Lauren happy, even though she made a conscious effort not to show it. "Since when did you become a relationship expert?"

"It's like when I was with Dave –"

"Dave isn't real."

Vex smiled. "Oh, yeah, right."

* * *

It was 11:30p Thursday night, and Bo was lying in bed. Kenzi had worked, but based on the little comments she had made before leaving Bo knew that Vex had been on babysitting duty.

It was late, and Bo knew Lauren was probably asleep. She shouldn't bother her. Still, would a text message hurt anything? Just something quick. She probably wouldn't see it until the morning anyway. The phone probably wouldn't wake her up.

Bo pulled up Lauren's name on her phone and her thumb hesitated over the keyboard.

 _It's weird not seeing you._ Deleted.

 _So our friends think we live together. Who cares?_ Deleted.

 _Even though you're not here, I'm still not sleeping on your side of the bed._ Deleted.

 _I love_ – deleted.

Bo sighed in frustration and dropped her phone onto the nightstand, rolling over to go to sleep.

* * *

Lauren woke up on Friday morning feeling grouchy. Vex was sprawled out in bed beside her, sleeping on Bo's pillow. It irritated Lauren more than it should.

Lauren didn't make an effort to be quiet as she got ready, and when she was getting ready to leave, Vex was looking at her with grumpy eyes. "You have a bad attitude when you aren't getting laid."

Lauren rolled her eyes. She tried to sustain her anger, but she got Vex's point and he wasn't entirely wrong. She was annoyed because she hadn't seen Bo.

"She's prettier than you are," Lauren commented.

"No one is prettier than I am, love," Vex said.

Even through her irritation, Lauren couldn't stop her laugh.

* * *

Lauren worked late on Friday night, trying to catch up all the work that was on her desk. She made good progress, but as a result didn't arrive home until almost 9:30p. Once she was in the house she headed to her bedroom and changed her clothes before grabbing her phone and texting Bo.

Lauren: _Want to get breakfast tomorrow morning?_ Okay, yes, it made her sound desperate, but seriously, she hadn't seen her girlfriend in days.

Bo: _Yes. But Kenzi just asked me to go look at wedding dresses with her._

Lauren groaned. Seriously? _So she's just openly trying to fuck with us now._

Bo: _Seems that way._

Lauren: _Great._

Bo: _I'm really looking forward to going out tomorrow night._

Lauren: _Do you think they'll let us sit next to each other?_

Bo: _Lol._

Lauren: _Where are we going, anyway?_

Bo: _Some club. At least we'll get to dance._

Lauren: _I'm a terrible dancer._

Bo: _I 100% doubt that. Also, don't care._

Lauren laughed. _This has really sucked._

Bo: _Agree._

Lauren: _Let's not do this again._

Bo: _You won't get any argument from me._

Lauren: _Given that you're a lawyer, I find that hard to believe, lol._

Bo: _Lol. It's true, though._

Lauren smiled. One more night. They just had to get through one more night.

* * *

In her bedroom, Bo looked at the text message thread between her and Lauren. One more night. That was all. She and Lauren continued to text back and forth for a while, but soon Bo noted there were longer pauses between the messages and Bo knew Lauren was going to sleep. They said goodnight, and the texts ended.

Bo tried to go to sleep as well, but found it to be difficult. An hour later she was still awake, tossing and turning. She picked up her phone again.

 _I know it's just one more night, but haven't we proved our point?_ Deleted.

 _Who cares if they think we live together anyway._ Deleted.

 _Why don't we live together?_ Deleted.

 _Let's move in together._ Deleted.

 _I love you._ Deleted.

* * *

Bo spent most of Saturday feeling antsy. She caught herself looking at the clock more often then she should, even though she tried to hide it. The fact that she was out with Kenzi helped somewhat – they spent their day talking about dresses and plans for the wedding. By the time they had to head back to the apartment to get ready to go out, Kenzi had thrown her hands in the air and exclaimed "this is ridiculous. We should just go away and get married."

"Why don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Bo shrugged. "Book a vacation at a resort. Go to Jamaica or something. We can all still come, and then you don't have to plan any of this."

Kenzi thought for a minute. "That does sound nice."

"And you can get married in a bathing suit if you want to."

"That sounds even better."

Bo and Kenzi set about getting ready, making small talk. When Bo was done with her makeup, she headed to her bedroom to find clothes. Out of habit, she grabbed her phone when she walked in and checked for messages.

Lauren: _Vex just called to tell me that he's picking me up. We'll meet you at the club._

Bo groaned. Great another half hour, at least. Yes, she knew she sounded pathetic. Whatever.

Bo: _Okay. They're going to be watching us, you know._

Lauren: _I know. I can act like this hasn't been terrible._

Bo: _So, what, we just kind of say hello and that's it?_

Lauren: _If we're doing this to make a point, I think we should._

Bo: _Agree._

There was a few moments pause.

Bo: _Am I allowed to kiss you?_

Lauren: _Yes._ The message came through lightning quick, and Bo smiled at the speed of the response.

Lauren: _I mean, it would be weird if we didn't. We'll just keep it PG._

Bo: _PG. Great. Exactly what I wanted to hear._ Bo felt certain Lauren could hear her sarcasm through the message.

Lauren texted back an emoji of a winking face.

Bo: _God, you're even hot through text._

Lauren: _Lol._

* * *

When they arrived at the club, Bo scanned the room, looking for Lauren but trying not to be obvious about it. She saw Vex first, standing at the bar, and steered Nate and Kenzi to where he was standing.

"Hello, my darlings!" Vex said loudly, lifting the shots that had just been delivered to him off the counter. "Let's take a drink to Nate and Kenzi and their incomprehensible decision to sleep with the same person for the rest of their lives!"

Nate lifted his shot. "Cheers!"

Kenzi just smiled.

"Are we late to the party?" Dyson asked as he and Ciara walked up.

"Right on time," Vex said, handing him a shot. "Is Tamsin here yet?"

As if on cue, Tamsin approached. "What up, bitches," she said, grabbing a shot.

Bo looked up and saw Lauren standing behind her. Bo's heart started beating faster.

"Hey," she said, her eyes locked on Lauren.

Lauren smiled back. "Hey." Bo could see that Lauren was almost giddy, but she was actually hiding it fairly well.

"That's it?" Tamsin said. "I thought we were going to have to yell at you two to put your clothes back on by now."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "For God sake, we aren't that co-dependent."

Tamsin shrugged.

Kenzi downed a shot. "Bo's been a grouch since Wednesday," she commented.

"Lauren was irritable as well," Vex noted.

"Maybe because someone was stealing all my covers and snoring," Lauren answered Vex.

"Your bed is extraordinarily comfortable," Vex said. "I see why Bo enjoys it so much."

"Yeah, I'm sure Bo's just in it for the sheets," Tamsin said with an eye roll.

"Okay, on that note, who wants to find a table?" Bo asked, hoping to change the subject. They started walking away from the bar, looking for somewhere to sit. Bo hung back and when everyone was in front of them, went up to Lauren and gave her a far too brief kiss. "Hi," she said.

Lauren smiled widely at her. "Hi."

Bo reached down and took Lauren's hand, holding it firmly, making it clear that she was refusing to let go.

* * *

The night continued on. The group spent a while sitting together, talking about wedding, making both real and joking suggestions. Roughly two hours after they had arrived, they had started breaking up, some to the bar, and some to go dancing.

When Bo had a moment, she leaned over to Lauren's ear and said, "want to dance?"

Lauren nodded and they stood, making their way to the dance floor. It was crowded, and they had no trouble slipping into it, becoming anonymous almost immediately.

Bo maneuvered them to a corner where they couldn't be seen from the group's table. When she was reasonably confident that their anonymity had made them as private as possible, she put her hands on the sides of Lauren's face and pulled her in for a mind melting kiss.

Bo felt lost immediately. She breathed deeply and found her senses filled with Lauren – the way she smelled like clean cotton, the low sounds of appreciation she was making against Bo's lips and tongue, the way she was swaying slightly with Bo as they almost pretended to keep up the pretext of dancing, the ways the strands of her hair felt smooth under Bo's fingers, the way Bo could still taste the alcohol Lauren had been drinking.

When they came up for air, Bo moved and latched her lips onto Lauren's neck, gently running her tongue over Lauren's pulse, which was fast and erratic.

"God, Bo," Bo felt Lauren breath out against her ear.

"I've missed you," Bo said, holding herself as tightly as possible against Lauren.

"I've missed you, too," Lauren sighed back, unconsciously moving her head to give Bo better access to her neck.

"Let's never do that again," Bo murmured, low enough that Lauren almost didn't hear her.

"It's crazy," Bo heard Lauren saying, lowly, quietly. "It was just three days."

"Three days is too long," Bo answered, lifting her head to capture Lauren's lips again.

Lauren responded instantly, and soon they were lost again. Bo was vaguely aware that it was probably only a matter of time before someone saw them, but frankly, as long as Lauren was kissing her, she didn't care.

They finally pulled back, breathing heavily, their foreheads against each other, their eyes closed.

"God, I'm so in love with you," Lauren sighed out.

Bo's eyes were definitely open now.

"What?" Bo asked, her heart pounding.

Lauren, realizing what she's just said, opened her eyes. "Um, I…what I meant was…"

Bo leaned in and kissed Lauren, hard, silencing her. When she pulled back, she looked into Lauren's eyes and said "I'm in love with you, too."

* * *

Thoughts?


	31. Chapter 31

Hey, everyone! Thanks for all of your great feedback on the last chapter. This is a quick chapter, Lauren's POV. To the reviewer who said that I seem to move the story forward every chapter - well, this one doesn't, lol, but maybe the next one will.

Also, to the review who said I would be fun to have a drink with - I AM. Thank you for noticing lol

Side note, just started reading a book called "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson. If you share my weird sense of humor, check it out. I feel like I'm reading my own mind, and I love it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"God, I'm so in love with you," Lauren sighed out. She didn't think about the words before she said them, and even as they came out of her mouth she had some vague thought that she hadn't really said them, just thought them.

"What?" she heard Bo ask, her voice sounding clipped, surprised.

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit_. Lauren's eyes flew open and she was caught by the way Bo was looking at her, eyes wide. _Oh, God, I've fucked this up. Fix this. FIX THIS._

"Um, I…what I meant was…"

Lauren was about to berate herself for the fumbling response when Bo pulled her in and Lauren felt their lips crash together. At the feeling of Bo against her, the lame excuse Lauren was trying to fabricate darted out of her mind. She struggled to keep the thoughts going – when Bo stepped back, she needed to have her shit together – but somewhere in the back of her mind logic was trying to break through, noting that if Bo was really that freaked out, they probably wouldn't be making out right now.

When Bo released her slightly and pulled back, Lauren was caught in Bo's gaze. Looking into Lauren's eyes, Bo said "I'm in love with you, too."

Lauren was frozen in place, her eyes locked with Bo. She wanted to remember everything about this moment – the way the music was throbbing around them, some song she had never heard before and probably would never be able to identify again, the way the flickering lights made Bo's eyes sparkle, the way Bo's hands felt on Lauren's sides, firm and gentle at the same time, a feeling that more or less was Bo in a nutshell.

She wanted to say something fabulous, something epic, something that communicated everything she was feeling in that moment. Instead, she heard her voice break almost imperceptibly as she said "you are?"

Bo swept a piece of Lauren's hair behind her ear and gave her a bemused smile. Lauren's mind was racing; this was _Bo_ , after all. Bo. She had never hidden the fact that she wasn't a big proponent of relationships, that her parents had firmly established in her mind that relationships and love were just pain. If she pushed Bo, she could lose her. Had Bo just said that she loved Lauren as a way to placate her? Or what if she did mean it, but that made her think that she and Lauren shouldn't be together, or –

Bo stroked her fingers across Lauren's cheek, drawing her attention back. "Stop thinking, Dr. Lewis," she said, her voice gentle.

"I just…I don't want you to feel like you have to say it, or that –"

Bo laid her finger over Lauren's lips, quieting her. When Lauren stilled, Bo spoke. "I have been in love with you…well, I don't know how long. Since I met you, maybe. I can't really point to the moment when how I felt about you changed, so I guess I've loved you since that first time you told me I could do better." Bo smiled slightly at the memory.

Lauren wasn't breathing. Why had she lost the power of speech? _Stop thinking_ Bo's voice repeated in her head. And so she did.

Lauren quickly reached up and put her hand on the side of Bo's neck, pulling her in and kissing her. She felt Bo respond, opening her mouth under Lauren's, their tongues tangling with one another. Lauren could feel Bo's breasts pressed against her, making her lose focus on the fact that they were still in public. She felt Bo's hands slide up to the sides of her breasts, and she audibly moaned.

"Bo," Lauren said, almost a whimper as she pulled back. Bo almost stumbled forward, her lips still searching for Lauren, not willing to end the kiss. "Baby, we have to stop."

Bo pulled Lauren back to her and kissed her again. "Why," she whispered against Lauren's lips. Lauren's tongue sought out Bo's again, and Lauren dropped her hands to Bo's ass, pulling her hips as close as possible. Lauren groaned again as Bo pressed against her.

"Shit…Bo…" Bo rotated her hips against Laurens and groaned. "We have to stop, baby," Lauren said, making no effort to release Bo.

Lauren was almost painfully aroused. If this went on much longer, she didn't know if she would be able to stop. She loosened her grip on Bo and tried to catch her breath. She looked up into Bo's eyes and saw how dark they were. She saw the look of lust on Bo's face that she knew was on hers as well, and felt another jolt of arousal shoot through her.

"Can we leave?" Lauren breathed out.

Bo seemed to suddenly register where they were and looked at the time with a sigh. "Probably not yet."

Lauren leaned into Bo, placing her head on Bo's shoulder, against her neck. "Soon?" Lauren said against Bo's neck. Lauren saw goose bumps rise on Bo's skin at the contact of her breath.

"God…" Bo groaned. "Maybe they won't notice…"

Lauren took a deep breath of Bo's skin and soon found her tongue battling with Bo's again. Lauren's nipples were painfully erect and hard, and when Bo shifted against her groaned deeply against Bo.

Bo pulled back a half step, trying to get some distance between her and Lauren. "Unless you want to give everyone here a show, we really have to stop now," Bo groaned. Lauren hesitated for a moment, and Bo groaned louder. "Shit, are you _thinking_ about it?!"

"It's been three days," Lauren murmured against Bo's mouth as she drew her close again. "And I've thought about you…a lot…"

Bo stepped back, her eyes nearly black. "Okay, new plan, we're going to get through this evening as fast possible and get out of here."

Lauren nodded, her eyes drifting back to Bo's lips. She was about to reach for Bo again when Bo put her hands on Lauren's shoulders. "Baby…"

Lauren smiled slightly. "Sorry." She ran her finger down Bo's jaw, tracing the line of her collarbone, drifting toward Bo's breasts.

Bo took her hand. "Fuck, we have to get out of here."

Lauren and Bo headed back toward where the group had been sitting, trying to get themselves back under control. When they arrived, they found Kenzi and Tamsin sitting.

"BoBo! LoLo!" Kenzi shouted, her voice clearly drunk. "Come drink with us!"

 _So much for a quick, unnoticed exit_. Bo shot Lauren an apologetic look as they took seats, accepting the shots Kenzi was offering them.

Tamsin looked at them with a wicked smile. "So, what have you two been up to?"

"Dancing," Bo said firmly.

Lauren didn't answer, taking her shot, trying to clear her head enough to get through the rest of the evening.

"I bet," Tamsin said, reclining slightly in her seat.

* * *

The night continued on. Every time Bo and Lauren attempted to leave, they were interrupted by some reason to wait – a toast to Nate and Kenzi, Kenzi pulling Bo away to dance, Ciara engaging Lauren in conversation about…well, Lauren wasn't focused, so she wasn't sure what.

Lauren tried to keep herself under control. She tried to ignore the throbbing between her legs when she caught the smell of Bo, when Bo pressed against her side while they were sitting next to each other, when she felt Bo's breath on her ear when Bo leaned in to tell her something. She continued to drink, hoping to distract herself, but all it seemed to do was to tune her senses more into Bo.

Finally, Dyson and Ciara announced that it was late and that they were going to call it a night. Lauren suddenly wanted to kiss Dyson. Not as much as she wanted to kiss Bo, but…whatever, the point was, now she and Bo were able to slip into the crowd and then leave without being noticed.

Once they got outside the club, Bo hailed a taxi and they climbed in the back. She passed the driver some cash, told him the address, and told him it was all his if he got them there in less than ten minutes. Lauren thought she saw the driver smirk, but soon found she didn't care when Bo's mouth sealed against hers.

Lauren found her hands under Bo's shirt, and she made a conscious effort to keep them at Bo's waist, to avoid giving the driver more of a show than he was already getting. They somehow managed to keep themselves together until they arrived at Lauren's.

Lauren fumbled with her keys, trying to get the door open as Bo pressed behind her, her lips latched onto the back of Lauren's neck. The feel of Bo's tongue against her, Bo's hands reaching around and cupping Lauren's breasts, stroking her hardened nipples with her thumbs, made unlocking the door a near Herculean feat.

"Hurry, baby," Bo groaned against Lauren's neck.

"Shit…I'm trying…" Lauren said, trying desperately to focus on the task at hand rather than on Bo.

"God, I want to fuck you…"

Lauren nearly cried. She was completely soaked, her blood on fire, Bo was pressed against her, her hips pressing into Lauren's ass, rotating against her as if Bo couldn't control them…and, finally, the door came open.

They nearly fell inside, Bo kicking the door closed behind them. Lauren turned to face Bo and Bo immediately pressed Lauren against the wall, her hands reaching inside of Lauren's pants.

"Fuck, your _dripping_ ," Bo moaned as Lauren latched her mouth onto Bo's neck, biting slightly, making Bo cry out.

Lauren clawed at Bo's shirt, pushing it out of the way enough to allow her to suck on Bo's right breast. Bo was no help in this process, however, more focused on getting Lauren's pants off of her.

They continued to struggle for a moment before separating just enough to remove each other's clothes. When they were finally divested of their garments, they immediately came back together.

Bo reached her hand back down, cupping Lauren's sex and reveling in the wetness gathered there. Lauren, for her part, reached down and pushed her fingers into Bo, feeling her walls contract around her fingers as her body reacted to the sudden intrusion. Bo cried out at the feeling of Lauren's fingers and turned her hand, pushing her thumb into Lauren so she could press it firmly against Lauren's g-spot.

Lauren froze, her breathing halted, at the overwhelming sensation. " _Goddd…_ " she ground out, pushing her fingers deeper into Bo. She felt Bo whimpering against her, her hips jerking of their own accord, seeking more friction with Lauren's fingers.

The continued to press into each other, harder and harder, until they were both crying out in ecstasy. Lauren's legs were weak and shaking with the intensity of her orgasm. She felt certain that the only thing holding her up was Bo pressed against her, pinning her to the wall.

Lauren kissed Bo again, feeling Bo sagging against her as well as she tried to gather herself. They started sinking, slightly, and Lauren released Bo from the kiss, trying to catch her breath.

"We haven't made it very far inside," Lauren said with a smile, realizing they were still beside the door.

"I'm shocked we made it at all," Bo answered, kissing Lauren again.

"Mmm," Lauren hummed, running her hands lazily down to Bo's ass, cupping her, drawing her back against Lauren.

Lauren sighed as she felt Bo's wetness against her, her hips moving against Bo of their own accord.

The kiss continued for a few minutes, and soon Lauren was breathless again, fresh arousal coursing through her. "Couch?" she breathed out. Bo nodded and they maneuvered off the wall, still kissing one another.

When they reached the couch, Bo dropped down on to it and Lauren stepped back. Bo motioned for Lauren to join her, but Lauren stood back, admiring the view in front of her, of Bo's chest heaving with arousal, of the wetness glistening between her thighs. She sat down on her knees, opened Bo's legs wider, and ran her tongue over Bo, feeling Bo quiver with pleasure above her.

"Mmm…baby…" Bo groaned, her legs spreading wider, her back arching, her hands tangling into Lauren's hair. "Come…up…let me…I want to taste you… _God_ …"

Lauren ignored the requests, for now. She ran her tongue over Bo, long strokes punctuated but firm licks of Bo's clit. Every time she did it, Bo cried out, her legs seeming to open wider with every pass.

At the sounds Bo was making, Lauren felt her own arousal increase until she was nearly squirming, trying to get some relief.

Bo saw her dilemma and tried to pull Lauren up. "Baby… _fuuuck…_ Baby, please let me…ahhh…let…shit…let me help…"

Somehow Bo marshaled the strength to pull Lauren up and soon Lauren was straddling her. Bo pushed three fingers into Lauren, and Lauren cried out against Bo's mouth and Bo moved quickly to bring Lauren to the edge where she was teetering. When Lauren was close, Bo grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled it to her own clit. Within in seconds of stroking one another, both Bo and Lauren toppled over the edge again in an explosive orgasm.

They were panting, trying to come back down, when Bo kissed Lauren again. "Holy shit, I love you."

Lauren kissed Bo deeply again. "I love you, too."

* * *

Feel free to comment.


	32. Chapter 32

Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the reviews, as always I really look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for taking the time to give me feedback on this.

So, I've had a weird day - I had hearings in three cases this morning that involved sex offenses against children, and it's put me in a funk. So, I wrote this for my own mental health. Again, doesn't really move much forward, just kind of some fluff, but I just felt like this was something I needed today. Hope that's okay with everyone, and hope everyone else can use this as a little break from whatever shit I'm sure you all are dealing with, too.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren woke up the next morning in bed alone. She looked at the clock and saw that it was just after 9:00a. She had slept later than usual – though that probably wasn't surprising, as she and Bo had been up late the night before. Stretching out, she took a deep breath and caught the smell of coffee. She smiled slightly, knowing that meant Bo was up and likely in the kitchen.

Her thoughts ran back over the previous evening. It felt surreal; for the last couple weeks she had found the word _love_ flitting through her mind more and more often when she thought of Bo, but she had made a conscious effort to suppress the thoughts. She and Bo hadn't been together that long, after all, and saying "I love you" too soon seemed like a colossally bad idea.

At first she had written it off as infatuation – they were at the beginning of a relationship and intense feelings were normal. But how close to the beginning were they, really? They'd been together four months, surely the newness and infatuation should be wearing off.

Then she had decided that it was lust. There was no question she felt that for Bo – but, to be fair, it was _Bo._ Lust wasn't a shocking thing to feel. But could it be considered lust when she found herself daydreaming about laughing with Bo, or having dinner with her, or watching TV with her, or doing any number of other every day, mundane things?

Alright, so not lust, not infatuation; what did that leave? Maybe, like in medicine, it was like co-morbidity – it was two things occurring at the same time. Maybe it was a combination of lust and friendship. There was certainly no denying that Bo had become one of, if not her best, friend. She could talk to Bo about anything. Bo understood her sense of humor. If Bo was someone that Lauren wasn't attracted to, she felt certain that they would still be close friends. So, maybe that was it – she was best friends with someone she was also deeply attracted to.

But…well, that was close to love, wasn't it?

In the last week or so, it had gotten more or less impossible for her to deny. She couldn't ignore the fact that her heart sped up when she saw or heard Bo, that she often thought of Bo's happiness and feeling before considering her own. She had driven four hours in the middle of the night to a place she'd never been because she had the sense that Bo might need company. These were things people did for those that they loved.

Alright then, she loved Bo. She had accepted that, and told herself that she would just keep it to herself. Maybe Bo would feel like that too, at some point, but it needed to be Bo that said it. Her history with relationships was very different than Lauren's, and her upbringing had made it far more complicated. If there were to be any sweeping declarations, Bo needed to be the one to initiate them.

And then…last night.

She didn't mean for the words to slip out. They had come from her, unbidden. They were true, of course, but the time wasn't right for them. Things with Bo were so good, she didn't need to mess that up with sweeping proclamations. She wanted to future with Bo; she could wait as long as Bo needed for pronouncements of love.

But she had said it back. It was crazy to Lauren – Bo, the girl who though love was death, was freely acknowledging that she loved her. _Her._ How had she gotten this lucky?

She stretched and got out of bed, wrapping a robe around herself. When she entered the kitchen she saw Bo dressed in underwear and one of Lauren's tee shirts, the bottom of the shirt barely reaching her thighs. Lauren grinned. She looked at home here.

Her grin stopped when her eyes snagged on Bo's hand, wrapped in a dishtowel. A red dishtowel. A red dishtowel that before this morning had been a white dishtowel.

Bo saw her and smiled. "Hey, Baby, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"What did you do to your hand?" Lauren exclaimed, hurrying over to Bo to inspect the damage.

"It's not a big deal," Bo said, moving the hand out of Lauren's view. "Don't worry about it. How did you sleep?" She was angling her body to block Lauren's view of her left hand.

"Let me see your hand," Lauren said, firmly.

" _It's fine_. Honestly."

"What did you do? What is this?" Lauren asked, looking around the counter.

"Well, because I'm an amazing girlfriend, I decided to make you breakfast."

"…really? You were going to try to…cook?" Lauren asked, uncertainly.

"Well, I was going to make you a breakfast sandwich. So, I started by thinking I'd make eggs for sandwiches, but that didn't work out."

Lauren glanced over at the sink, where she saw a pan with egg charred too it. "No, I see that."

"So then I thought, a BLT would be easy, and that's mostly breakfast foods, right? So, I made the toast –"

"It looks a little…well done."

Bo sighed. "I turned it up to a higher setting because I thought it would make it go faster. Turns out those numbers are for minutes, not heat levels."

Lauren smiled. "You can't even make _toast_."

"I can make toast. I'm not helpless."

"You burned it."

"Geez, you make _one_ mistake…"

Lauren put her hand, laughing slightly. "Alright, alright. Get to the bloody hand."

"Well, you don't have bacon, and let's be honest, that's probably for the best given how my cooking has gone on the rest of the meal, so I decided to make LTs."

"LTs?"

"Lettuce and tomato sandwiches."

"Of course," Lauren said, with a smile.

"So, I started cutting tomatoes, and it turns out that your knives are way too sharp."

Lauren sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "Let me see it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…it's fine," Bo answered, lamely.

"There is a lot of blood on that towel. You might need stitches."

"I'm not getting stitches."

"You are if you need them," Lauren answered.

"No. It'll be fine."

"Bo…"

"Seriously, I'm sure it's not that bad."

Lauren hesitated for a moment, wondering why Bo was fighting this. Then, she smiled. "You're afraid of needles, aren't you?"

"No…" Bo mumbled.

Lauren smiled broadly. "So the tough prosecutor, who doesn't blink when she looks at autopsy photos, is afraid of needles."

"I'm not _afraid_ of them, I just…don't like them."

"Let me see the hand," Lauren said, reaching out again.

"Promise me you aren't going to make me get stitches."

"Let me see the hand."

Bo sighed and extended her hand, wincing slightly as Lauren slowly peeled back the towel.

"Shit, Bo, how did you get a cut this deep?"

"The knife just slipped. It's not my fault it was weirdly sharp."

"It's a knife, it's supposed to be sharp," Lauren answered, her eyes still trained on the cut. "You're going to need a few stitches."

"You promised you wouldn't make me get stitches," Bo protested.

"No, I didn't. You asked me to. I didn't promise anything."

"It was implied," Bo answered. "An implied contract can be just as valid as a written one."

"Good thing we aren't in court, then. Come on, let's get you dressed and take you to the hospital."

* * *

An hour later Bo was sitting on a bed in the ER while a doctor stitched up her hand. Lauren was standing beside her, her arm around Bo's shoulder, while Bo had her head turned toward Lauren's chest, trying to ignore the needle being used to stitch her back together.

As Lauren saw Bo wince, she felt her heart start to ache slightly. She had been trying to do something nice for Lauren, after all. She found herself running her hand through Bo's hair, softly telling her what was happening. "It's almost over," she said, quietly. "You're doing really well. Once she's done, she's just going to clean it up a little bit and put a bandage over it. The worst part is over, almost finished."

Bo didn't answer, keeping her face turned away from the doctor working on her hand.

When she was finished, Lauren felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She hated seeing Bo shaken – it was a rare sight, and not one Lauren enjoyed. The doctor finished by placing a bandage over the cut, and when that was completed Lauren saw Bo visibly sigh with relief.

"Okay, so you're going to need to keep it clean and dry. I'm going to prescribe you some painkillers. Dr. Lewis can help you with aftercare, she told me she'd keep an eye on everything. You are going to need to come back and get the stitches removed after it heals. Any questions?"

Bo shook her head no. Lauren smiled warmly at the doctor. "Thank you, Doctor Fryern," she said.

The doctor smiled back. "No problem. Maybe stay away from knives, yeah?"

Bo smiled slightly. "No problem."

The doctor nodded and walked out, leaving Bo and Lauren alone. "Feeling okay?" Lauren asked.

Bo sighed. "I hate needles," she mumbled.

Lauren smiled and leaned down to give Bo a quick peck. "Really? I hadn't noticed. Come on, let's get you to the pharmacy." She helped Bo up and they headed out of the hospital.

* * *

Once home from the pharmacy, Bo and Lauren headed inside and Lauren crossed to the kitchen. "I'm starving," she commented. "We should have gotten something while we were out."

"Want me to cook?" Bo said with a smile.

Lauren laughed. "No, I think one trip to the ER is enough for today."

Bo crossed to the sink and took one of the painkillers with a glass of water. Lauren glanced over at her. "You really should eat something if you're going to take that."

Bo shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

Lauren shook her head and looked through the fridge. "As a side note, you really do need to learn how to cook," Lauren commented.

"Cooking seems boring. It takes too long."

"How have you survived this long without knowing how to cook? Does Kenzi cook?"

Bo laughed. "Please. Kenzi makes me look like…who is a famous chef?"

Lauren laughed in response. "Whatever. You both need to learn how to make a few basic things at least."

"Are you offering lessons?"

Lauren turned to Bo and smiled. "Sure, why not? I'm not a great cook, but I can make a meal without starting a fire or needing surgery."

"Show off," Bo responded.

Lauren grabbed some things out of the fridge and set about making lunch. "When you start feeling tired you need to lie down."

"I'll be fine," Bo answered.

"You'll be high."

Bo waved her off. "I'm not going to be high."

"I think you said that last time. As I recall, I found you wandering around your apartment telling me I was pretty and making incomprehensible case notes."

Bo hesitated. "I'm sure I wasn't that bad…"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really."

Lauren smiled. "Because you were high," she said with a laugh.

Bo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."

"You know, maybe I should just let this play out. You seem to be very honest when you're high. I could learn all kinds of things."

"Maybe I am hungry," Bo said, walking over to see what Lauren was making.

Lauren laughed. "Afraid you're going to let something slip?"

Bo smiled. "I'll have you know that I am a very honest person. I have nothing to hide."

"Great, so when you're high in like an hour, I'll just start asking you things."

"I might take a nap," Bo said.

Lauren smiled.

* * *

After they had finished lunch, Bo and Lauren piled up on the couch to watch a movie. Lauren could see Bo's eyes starting to sag, a sure sign that the medicine was kicking in and she need to go to sleep. "Why don't you rest your eyes for a minute, baby?" she asked, running the back of finger against Bo's forehead.

Bo's eyes started to droop, but she shook herself back awake. "No, I'm good," she said.

"Why are you fighting getting some rest?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged and smiled. "Because if I go to sleep now, I won't get to hang out with you. We were already apart for three days. I don't want to spend all my time with you asleep."

Lauren was taken aback by the response. "Are you high?"

Bo smiled. "I don't know. Maybe."

Lauren stretched her feet out, putting them on the coffee table, and patted her lap. "Come on, lie down. We can still hang out. Just relax at least."

Bo stretched out on the couch, laying her head in Lauren's lap as Lauren turned on the movie.

"Thank you," Bo said softly.

Lauren smiled. "For what?"

"Taking care of me."

Lauren ran her fingers against the side of Bo's face, tracing her cheekbone with her index finger. "Anytime."

"You're too good for me," Bo mumbled.

"What?"

Bo's voice was heavy, a mixture of sleep creeping in and the medicine taking away Bo's filter. "You're perfect. You're gorgeous. You're nice. You're smart. I love you."

Lauren's heart swelled slightly. "I love you, too. Go to sleep, sweetie."

"I've never loved someone before."

Now Lauren was really paying attention. "What?"

Lauren could see that Bo's eyes were closed now, almost asleep as she spoke. "I've never said it to someone I date before. I never wanted to. I didn't want to be like my parents. But you're so _good._ I like loving you."

"I like loving you, too."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Bo mumbled.

Lauren ran her fingers along Bo's hairline. "Always," she said without thinking.

Bo smiled and drifted into sleep.

* * *

Feedback is always appreciated and encouraged


	33. Chapter 33

What's up, party animals.

So, is this the longest I've gone without posting a chapter? Probably not. But still, feels like it's been a while. To the reviewer who said, if it makes me feel better, child sex offenders get beat up in prison - I'm not proud of this, but that actually does help, thanks.

So, this chapter - guys, let me tell you, it has angst, murder, international espionage...it's the total package. It's crazy. It's a wild ride. There's also a solid chance that this is the world's most thinly veiled lie. Whatever.

Also, Bo and I share culinary skills. I'm relating to that part of the story on a very deep and personal level.

Not proofread or edited, as always. But I am consulting with a potential beta. So...you know, quality may improve at some point lol

Enjoy!

* * *

Ten days later, Bo was sitting in Lauren's office, her arms crossed in front of her, cutting her eyes at Lauren. "You lied to me," she said, simply.

Lauren sighed. "I didn't lie to you. We are going to get lunch. Just…afterwards."

"It's a _Wednesday_ , Lauren! You can't make me do this on a Wednesday."

"The stitches have to come out. They're already pulling at your skin – frankly, I should have made you do this a couple days ago."

Bo didn't say anything, continuing to sulk.

Lauren sighed. "Look, when the stitches are out, I'll let you pick where we go to lunch, alright?"

Bo hesitated. "Do I _really_ have to do this?"

"Yes."

Now it was Bo's turn to sigh. "Alright, fine, let's get it over with, I guess."

Lauren smiled at her, but inside she was dreading this almost as much as Bo. It wasn't that it was going to be that bad of a procedure – it was simply, actually, it shouldn't really even hurt – but she knew Bo was dreading it and that made Lauren hate the thought of it as well.

They walked down to where the doctor was waiting for them, and Bo began to visibly tense when she saw the tools the doctor had prepared.

Lauren got Bo settled and started talking to her, trying to take her mind off things. "So, is Kenzi working Saturday?"

"No, she's off," Bo answered, her eyes drifting to the tools even as she tried to keep herself from looking that way.

"Good," Lauren said. "I was thinking that might be a good day for you two to learn how to cook."

Bo turned to fully look at Lauren. "Wow, first needles, now cooking lessons. When you pile it on you really go for it, don't you?"

Lauren smiled at her and ran a hand through Bo's hair. "I'll put together a list for you and Kenzi," she said. "Just some basic ingredients, nothing crazy."

"You might want to write down the types of pots and pans we need, too."

Lauren looked at her, quizzically. "You won't need anything special, just basic cookware."

Bo smiled at her slightly, and Lauren's heart warmed. "Sweetie, we don't cook. It's not a given that we have anything."

Lauren smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll put that on the list, too."

Bo winced as the doctor started working, and Lauren moved a half step closer, pulling Bo's face to her chest. "It's okay, baby, it'll be over quick."

Bo didn't say anything back, sitting perfectly still.

"It's healed really cleanly," Lauren said. "It shouldn't even leave too much of a scar. We'll put some cream on it, keep the skin moisturized, and that should help it fade. You might always feel like that part of your hand isn't as sensitive, though, when you cut it, it went through some nerves, so they won't fully repair. But it won't be painful, and you'll get used to it fast, so you probably won't even really ever notice. The last stitch is coming out now – and that's it. Just have to check it over, and then you'll be done, but everything looks great."

The doctor finished up and after giving Bo a few instructions, left Lauren and Bo alone. Bo turned to Lauren, smiling slightly. "You have a really good bedside manner," Bo said.

Lauren smiled, feeling lighter when she saw the tension draining away from Bo. "Lunch?" she asked.

Bo sighed and looked at her watch. "I'm short on time."

Lauren was hit by a wave of disappointment. "Oh."

Bo bit her bottom lip, thinking for a moment. "Hey, didn't we pass a vending machine on our way down here?"

"You need something better than vending machine food for lunch, Bo," Lauren answered.

Bo stood up and kissed Lauren. "Nothing's better than lunch with you. Come on."

* * *

At noon on Saturday, Bo and Kenzi were walking through the grocery store, trying to gather items from Lauren's list.

"How did you get me roped into this?" Kenzi grumbled, walking beside Bo as she pushed the cart.

"I don't even know how I got myself into it," Bo commented, looking at the shelves.

"Well, I know how she got you. The same way Nate got me to stand for three hours outside a concert hall hoping to get an autograph from his favorite drummer."

"With a promise of shoes and sex?"

"Because you _lurve_ her," Kenzi answered in a sing-song voice.

Bo shrugged. "Yeah, well."

Kenzi stopped, putting her hand on the cart to stop Bo as well. "Wait, you aren't going to start denying it?"

Bo looked at Kenzi and shrugged again.

Kenzi was frozen, her mouth agape. "This is…you…my mind is…what?"

Bo rolled her eyes and started walking again. "It's not that crazy, Kenz."

" _It is_ , though. It is. Because this is _you_ we're talking about."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're… _Bo._ You're like a Vulcan."

"Well, that was needlessly nerdy."

"You're the master of not having feelings," Kenzi continued.

"That's a bit harsh."

"The ice queen."

"See, now you're just being hurtful."

"The –"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Bo said, cutting Kenzi off. "I'm not a girl who is big on love. Got it. But that doesn't matter, I'm still _capable_ of being in love."

"I have known you since…well, count how old we are, that's how long I've known you, and in all that time I have never once heard you admit that you are in love with someone."

"Things change," Bo answered, referring to the list in her hand as she scanned the shelves.

Kenzi just stood, staring at Bo and shaking her head. "Are you going to marry her?"

"You have weddings one the brain," Bo answered. "I've been dating her for less than five months."

"But you live with her –"

"I'm not even having this argument again."

"—and you're in love with her. So, I mean, my question isn't really that crazy in the grand scheme of things."

Bo was quiet for a minute, and then she turned to Kenzi. "Are you and Nate going to have kids?"

Kenzi balked. "What?"

"Are you going to have kids?"

"I just…we…I don't know."

"How many are you going to have?" Bo pressed.

"I didn't even say –"

"How soon are you going to start trying to have them? Right away? Or do you think you'll wait a couple of years, get some traveling in first?"

Kenzi put her hands up. "Alright, settle down, Nate and I aren't at that point yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Really?" Bo said, cocking her head to the side. "Why not? I mean, you _love_ him, you're going to marry him, my question isn't that crazy in the grand scheme of things."

Kenzi sighed. "Alright, fine, I concede."

Bo smiled triumphantly. "Boom. Now, Lauren said we need some weird ass herbs, let's go."

They started walking to the next aisle. "I still don't know why I'm doing this, I'm not in love with her."

"But you love me," Bo said with a smile. "But the real reason you're doing it is because you want to be all cute and domestic for Nate so he'll realize what a good homemaker you are and want to have lots and lots of babies."

"What?" Kenzi said, slightly offended. "That's not –" she caught Bo's smile and realized she was being messed with. "Oh. Ha, ha," she fake laughed, while rolling her eyes.

Bo laughed to herself while she scanned the rack, looking for what Lauren had written down.

"Hey, off topic, just hypothetically," Kenzi said, twisting her fingers together. "Do you think…would I be a good mom?"

Bo picked up a spice container and turned to Kenzi, raising her eyebrow. "Do you want to be a mom?"

Kenzi shrugged, trying to looked bored and nonchalant, and act that was virtually useless when she was talking to Bo. "I don't know. I mean…maybe?"

Bo smiled. "You'd be a kick ass mom," Bo answered, turning back to read the label on the container in her hands.

"Really?"

"Hell yeah."

Kenzi didn't respond, but Bo did see her smiling slightly out of the corner of her eye. "Alright," Kenzi said. "What else do we need?"

"Chicken," Bo answered, referring to the list.

They walked down the aisle and found the meat. "Breasts or thighs?" Kenzi asked.

"I like breasts," Bo answered.

"I'm asking what's on the list, perv, not for your personal sexual preferences."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I walked right into that one."

"I always thought you were a leg woman."

"A leg woman when it comes to chicken, or when it comes to Lauren?" Bo asked as she started going through the packages, trying to find one that would work with the list Lauren had given her.

" _Ew._ "

"Because when it comes to Lauren –"

"Alright, alright, fine, I'll stop," Kenzi said. "I don't need to hear about my sister's sex life."

Kenzi started rifling through the packages herself. "Dude, did you know you can buy this shit pre-cooked? Let's just get that and tell Lauren we figured it out on our own. We can get out of this whole thing."

Bo stood for moment thinking about it, and then sighed. "I can't lie to her. Plus she already knows there's no way I could have cooked chicken."

Kenzi sighed. "Alright, what else do we need?"

Bo passed the list to Kenzi. They started walking to the next aisle. "Hey, can we get Skittles?" Kenzi asked as they passed a candy display.

"Obviously," Bo answered.

* * *

"I don't even…what is all this?" Lauren asked, looking through their shopping bags.

"Groceries," Bo answered. "We got almost everything on the list, I think…"

"This bag is just candy…" Lauren said, going through them. "And this one…did you buy cooked chicken?"

"I told you not to buy that," Bo said under her breath to Kenzi.

"I'm not sleeping with her, I can lie to her," Kenzi answered back.

"You left it in the bag. Were you planning on telling her you cooked it and then repackaged it?" Bo asked with an eye roll.

"This bag is just chips and pretzels," Lauren commented.

"Geez, your wife is crabby," Kenzi groused under her breath to Bo. Bo discretely hit her in the ribs with her elbow. Kenzi glanced at her, affronted. "OW," she said, calmly and loudly.

"What?" Lauren said, looking up.

"Nothing. So what did we get that was wrong?" Bo said, trying to look innocent.

"Where did you find this much pre-cooked food?" Lauren asked.

"The more stuff we buy precooked, the faster the cooking part goes for us. It's time efficient," Bo commented.

"You bought cardamom," Lauren said, giving Bo a bewildered look.

"Yeah, it was on the list," Bo said.

" _Cumin_ was on the list…"

"Seriously? Fuck, that was expensive."

Lauren shook her head and started laughing slightly.

Nate started laughing on the couch behind them.

"That's enough from the peanut gallery, thank you," Kenzi said over her shoulder at him.

"I'm so glad I cleared extra phone memory to capture this evening," Nate said with a smile, taking a bite of popcorn.

"Did you seriously make popcorn just to watch me fail at cooking?" Kenzi asked.

"Yeah, I couldn't ask _you_ to make it, you always burn it," Nate answered with a smile.

"How? _How_ do you burn popcorn? There is literally a button on the microwave that says 'popcorn'," Lauren said.

"We tried that! It still burnt," Kenzi said.

"It's because you buy the small bags and the popcorn button cooks it too long," Nate said.

"See? That's totally not our fault," Bo noted.

"They print the cooking time on the box," Lauren answered.

"Yeah, but who is going to take the time to read _that_?" Kenzi asked.

"Yeah, seriously," Bo agreed.

Lauren looked between them, in openmouthed shock. "I just…how have you two survived?"

"We own a bar that has a kitchen, and we hired a cook," Kenzi answered.

"Exactly," Bo affirmed.

Lauren sighed. "Alright. Fine. Come on, Bo."

"Oh, no, are we skipping cooking lessons?" Bo said in a giddy voice with a wide smile.

Lauren smiled and shook her head. "We're going back to the store. Nate, Kenzi, we'll be back in a few minutes."

"Hey, while you're there, get some of the big bags of popcorn," Kenzi said.

Lauren just sighed.

* * *

Lauren and Bo walked up and down the aisles of the grocery store, Bo pushing the cart while Lauren put items in the basket.

"Can we get ice cream?" Bo asked.

Lauren laughed. "You're an adult. Buy whatever you want."

"No, I mean, you and I should go out and get ice cream. Skip this whole cooking nonsense."

"You need to learn how to cook, Bo."

Bo reached out to stop Lauren and pulled her in close. "Or we could skip it, go back to your place…" Bo ran her hands delicately against the sides of Lauren's breasts.

"The only breasts you need to handle right now are in the kitchen," Lauren said, pulling Bo's hands down.

"We can do it in the kitchen," Bo said, leaning in to give Lauren a lingering kiss.

Lauren returned the kiss for a moment and stepped back with a smile, shaking her head. Bo sighed dramatically, returning to push the cart.

Lauren shook her head and smiled. "I genuinely don't know how you haven't starved to death."

"I'm really good at making cereal."

"Seriously? That's your claim to fame? Cereal?"

"Well, alright, maybe _really good_ is an exaggeration. I always end up with way too much milk."

Lauren couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her.

Bo and Lauren continued through the store, Bo pausing while Lauren read labels and made selections. She kept referring to Bo, asking her to make choices, select brands, those kinds of things.

Lauren was holding two kinds of spices, asking Bo which one she preferred, going over the pros and cons of each. "So, this one might taste better tonight, but this one can be used in a wider variety of recipes. What do you think?"

Bo looked at the spices and stepped from behind the cart, pulling Lauren too her and kissing her deeply. She ran her tongue over Lauren's and felt Lauren almost stumble into her with surprise, kissing her back firmly.

When Bo took a half step back, Lauren's eyes were slow to drift open and she looked slightly dazed. "What was that for?"

Bo kept her hands at Lauren's waist, looking into her eyes. "Because I love you, and I think you're amazing, and you want you to know that now so you won't be offended when I tell you that cooking is _so boring._ "

Lauren wanted to feign irritation, but Bo was still standing so close to her, breathing her air, and her hands were still on her, and she realized that she just couldn't. She smiled at Bo, leaning in to kiss her again, gently. She leaned in to Bo's ear. "Please?" she said, her voice low and sultry, a tone she knew Bo couldn't resist.

"Oh, come on, that's cheating," Bo groaned.

Lauren smiled wickedly and gave Bo a quick peck, holding up the spices again. Bo sighed and pointed to the one on the left.

"Really? That one?" Lauren said.

Bo just laughed, grabbing both spices from Lauren and putting them in the cart.

* * *

Bo and Lauren walked back into the apartment with their bags.

"Honey, I'm home," Bo said loudly as the door opened. As they came in, they saw Nate and Kenzi separate suddenly on the couch.

"Wow, was quick," Kenzi said, trying to compose herself, smoothing her hair.

Bo laughed. "Sorry to break up the party."

Kenzi cleared her throat. "So, yeah, it's getting late, right, Nate? Maybe we should do the cooking lessons another time."

Nate finished composing himself. "No, the night is young, let's do this."

Kenzi turned to him, her eyes wide. " _Seriously?_ The promise of _sex_ won't even deter you from this?!"

Nate gave her a knowing smile. "Oh, you were just making out with me hoping it would distract me from the cooking lessons? I had no idea that was your plan. I feel so used," he deadpanned.

Kenzi groaned dramatically. Bo shrugged. "Lauren didn't go for it either."

* * *

An hour later, Bo, Lauren, Kenzi, and Nate were standing in the kitchen while the smoke alarm angrily beeped. Lauren sighed. "How did you…I mean, how?"

"It's a scientific fact that turning up the heat makes things cook faster," Kenzi said.

"Yes, it does. It also burns them,' Lauren said.

"Cooking is _boring_ ," Bo complained.

"The fire wasn't exciting enough for you?" Nate quipped.

Lauren sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, let's clean up and try this again tomorrow."

* * *

After cleaning up the kitchen and silencing the smoke detector, the couples retired to their rooms for bed. After washing their faces and brushing their teeth, Bo and Lauren headed to Bo's room and got undressed. Bo pulled out a tee shirt for Lauren to sleep in, and tossed it to the side, crossing the room to Lauren, pulling her in for a kiss.

Lauren smiled against Bo's lips. "I thought you were going to let me borrow a shirt," she said, her arms winding around Bo's neck.

"You don't need it yet," Bo answered with a smile, kissing Lauren again. The stood together a while longer, kissing lazily, gently swaying as if they were dancing to music that only they could hear. It was calm and unhurried, and Bo felt like she was melting with the depth of it.

A while later, Bo pulled back, gazing into Lauren's eyes which were half closed and dreamy. _God, she is so fucking gorgeous_ Bo thought. Everything about Lauren was perfection; the way her eyelashes naturally curled upwards, the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at Bo, the way her laugh was throaty and easy to draw out, the way her lips were always so soft, all the time, no matter what, the way she fit in Bo's arms like she had been molded especially to be held by her, the way her fingers, those damn doctors' fingers, were always precise in their movements.

Her mind fascinated Bo. It was always active, always moving. She wondered what it would be like to be inside Lauren's head, to hear her thoughts, to follow the way she processed things. It was so bizarre; Bo had dated, okay? She had dated a lot – men, women, whatever. She had experience. But with Lauren…she never cared about things like that before. She had never wondered how Rainer arrived at ideas, she had never pondered how Ryan processed information. She never cared. With Lauren…

Lauren reached her fingers up and stroked Bo's hair pushing it back from her face. Bo smiled. She had never dated someone who did that, either – she had never been with someone who was always pushing her hair away so her face could be viewed totally unobstructed.

"What are you thinking about?" Lauren murmured softly.

Bo felt like Lauren could probably feel her heart beating through her chest. God, she wanted to give his woman everything. She wanted to tear the moon out of the sky and hand it to her. She knew, in that moment, that there was virtually nothing Lauren could ask of her that she would deny, if it was in her power to make it happen. Hell, even if it wasn't in her power.

"You," Bo answered simply. There was really nothing else to say, was there?

* * *

A few hours later, Bo and Lauren were tangled in the sheets, sweaty and out of breath. Lauren curled herself around Bo, dropping light kisses onto her collarbone.

Bo was fairly certain she had just seen the face of God. She tightened her arm around Lauren. She was officially ruined for anyone else. She was done. She leaned her head forward and kissed the top of Lauren's head, taking a deep breath of her hair.

"You always smell like clean cotton," Bo said, her voice dreamy.

"You always smell like coffee," Lauren answered.

"Probably because I think it's replaced most of my blood," Bo answered.

Lauren laughed lightly, the vibrations of her body against Bo made Bo's heart race. Lauren and Bo continued to lie together, gently touching each other, relaxing. Bo's thoughts ran back over the day, and a thought snagged in her mind.

"Hey," she said, quietly, unsure if she should be bringing up this topic. "Do you ever…" her voice trailed off, trying to think how she wanted to phrase this.

Lauren snuggled against her side. "Do I ever what?"

"Do you ever think about…I don't know, babies?"

She felt Lauren's smile against her skin. "If you're worried that I got you pregnant, I can tell you that, medically, we would be considered low risk."

Bo couldn't stop the laugh that rumbled through her and she felt Lauren echo it.

Bo stroked her hand down Lauren's spine. "No, I mean, just the future and stuff. Like, kids?"

Lauren stilled against her, thinking. "I don't know," she said softly. "Sometimes, I guess."

"What do you think about?"

Lauren was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Nothing specific, really. Just general things. What about you?"

"Sometimes."

They were quiet for a bit longer, continuing to gently touch, each thinking.

"When you think about the future," Lauren said, softly, tentatively, "does it…am I in it?"

"You are it," Bo answered without thinking. Upon realizing the words she let slip, she stilled again, waiting for a reaction.

Lauren didn't answer, and Bo's heart started speeding up. She needed Lauren to say something. She needed confirmation that she hadn't said something Lauren wasn't ready to hear.

The waiting was torture, and a moment later she felt something wet drop to her chest. Was Lauren crying? She saw Lauren try to discretely move her hand to her face to wipe away a tear.

"Baby?" Bo said, her voice full of concern.

She felt a smile come from Lauren against her chest and it calmed her somewhat. "God, I'm so lucky to have met you," Lauren said quietly. "I don't want to do anything to mess this up."

"Me either," Bo said.

Lauren turned her head slightly and kissed the top of Bo's breast before laying the side of her face back against it.

Bo was debating breaching the kids topic again, but wondered if she should just let it drop for now. She and Lauren had just admitted something pretty important to each other – maybe that moment needed to be left undamaged.

"Bo?" Lauren said, quietly, like she was going through a debate in mind similar to the one Bo was experiencing.

"Yeah?" Bo answered.

"Do you think about having kids?"

Bo sighed. "I don't know. I like kids. I just…never thought about having them."

Lauren was quiet for a beat, and then said, "I've never thought about having them, either. I don't honestly know if I want to or not."

Bo released a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding, and relief flooded over her. She adored Lauren, and if Lauren had said she definitely wanted kids, Bo didn't know what she would have said.

Bo was so lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice that Lauren still felt slightly tense in her arms. Lauren cleared her throat and spoke again, her words coming out fast. "I know that might a, I don't know, a deal breaker, or whatever. I really, _really_ don't want to mess this up, and –"

Bo pulled Lauren up and quieted her with a kiss. "I don't know if I want them or not either," Bo said when they broke apart, and the relief that came over Lauren's face made her heart seize. "I mean, if you decided you definitely did, I'd be willing to talk about it. But…I don't know that it's something I need."

"Really?"

"Really."

Lauren visibly sagged in relief against Bo, and Bo smiled again, gathering Lauren into her arms and kissing her. "So," Bo said. "Just to even things out – when you think about the future –"

Lauren cut her off. "It's you."

Bo felt breathless as she stared into Lauren's eyes, watching them sparkle. She wanted to say something, something to mark this. These moments didn't come that often, right? She needed to do _something_. She looked into Lauren's eyes, sinking into their depths, and said the only thought that was clear in her mind.

"I love you."

* * *

As always, I love to hear your thoughts


	34. Chapter 34

Hey, everyone! Thanks for all your reviews, it always makes me happy to know people are still interested in reading this little weird, meandering story I'm playing with.

Anyone not in the mood for some nerdy stuff, skip ahead to the next paragraph. To the reviewer who asked about spousal privilege - so, there are certain privileges in law that prevent certain people from giving certain testimony. They differ state to state. In my state, there is something called spousal privilege. There are two types - marital communication and spousal immunity - and for purposes of this story, the second one is the type that came up. Basically, you can't be compelled to testify against your spouse. The exception is if you are the victim - in my state you can invoke your privilege once, and refuse to testify against a spouse who has abused you, but once you've used it, you're barred from using it again for that purpose. It's part of a domestic violence initiative. If anyone wants to know more about it, message me.

This link will take you to the mug Lauren drinks out of in this chapter. It's awesome. /product/thug-life-604_mug?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1027&c_kid=3175574p3027199&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9IS-BRC4qZXagbLs6uMBEiQAYHBh-ax_f2Opilu2ropXIi5AgL9-vcRLzhHxiYOIOLGdvMaAopU8P8HAQ#s6-3175574p30a27v199

Enjoy!

* * *

On a muggy morning in mid-August, Bo's eyes dragged open slowly and immediately she was greeted by the now familiar sight of blond hair splayed out on her pillow. She smiled softly; she and Lauren had their own sides of the bed, of course, their own pillows, but it seemed that almost every morning they woke up sharing the same one. It should have been irritating – Bo had never been someone who liked to be physically touching someone else when she was trying to sleep. But when the person touching you was Lauren Lewis…well, let's just say you got over it.

Lauren was half on her side, half on her back, her face turned toward Bo, her right arm above her head. The blankets had slipped down during sleep, exposing Lauren to Bo from the waist up. They were undressed, and the cold air from the air conditioner was causing Lauren's nipples to be erect and hard. Bo couldn't tear her eyes away, her hands desperate to reach for Lauren.

Composing herself, she gently pulled the blanket back up over Lauren to stave off the cold air. Bo needed to get up; it was a Saturday, and she and Lauren had promised to spend the weekend helping Nate move in with Bo and Kenzi. She glanced at the time and saw that she and Lauren had just over an hour before they were supposed to be there. Bo needed to get up, get a shower, make some coffee…she also needed to wake Lauren up. And yet, as she found herself looking at Lauren, she found that she didn't have the heart to disturb her. She was so peaceful like this, so calm, Bo didn't want to break that relaxation.

Bo carefully maneuvered herself away from Lauren, and heard Lauren give a sleep filled murmur of protest without opening her eyes. Bo stilled for a moment, and when it was clear that Lauren wasn't actually away, she slipped out of the room and made her way to the kitchen to start the coffee.

While the coffee was brewing, Bo went to the cabinet to pull out the mugs. She grabbed the green one for herself, the odd mug out that didn't match the rest of the set Lauren owned, that was Bo's favorite. For Lauren, she pulled out the mug Bo had bought for her a month before as a joke. It was a picture of flowers, and in script overlaying it, it said "thug life." It had made Bo laugh, and Lauren had pretended to think it was ridiculous, but she still drank out of it every day she and Bo woke up here.

When the coffee was done, Bo fixed her cup and then fix Lauren's. She tiptoed into the bedroom and left it on the nightstand before taking her own cup with her into the bathroom to start getting ready.

Once she had finished about half the mug, she turned on the taps and got into the shower. She grabbed Lauren's shampoo and started lathering her hair, a smile twitching on her face when Lauren's smell washed over her.

She turned around, her back to the showerhead, to begin rinsing her hair when she felt the curtain move. She opened her eyes to see Lauren stepping in front of her. Before Bo could say anything, Lauren lifted her hand to Bo's neck and pulled her gently forward, kissing her. Bo's hands moved of their own volition, skimming up Lauren's sides

When the kiss broke, Bo opened her eyes and found Lauren smiling slightly, her eyes closed. "Morning," Lauren said, her voice still deep with the remnants of sleep, and the tone shot a tingling feeling down Bo's spine as she was seized by desire for Lauren.

"Morning," Bo said back, her eyes catching on the droplets of water from the shower that were sticking to Lauren's skin.

Lauren's eyes opened slowly, and she traced her finger down Bo's neck, following the water running over her, drifting her finger between Bo's breasts, trailing down her stomach.

Bo's breath caught and she pulled Lauren back, kissing her passionately.

"We don't have a lot of time," Lauren mumbled against Bo's lips.

Bo pushed two fingers into Lauren's damp center and felt her shudder and her hips tilt as she pushed herself harder against Bo. "We have enough," Bo whispered back into Lauren's ear before taking the lobe between her lips and sucking on it.

Lauren moaned slightly as Bo curled her fingers, stroking Lauren, wiggling her fingers inside of her so she was touching her everywhere. Lauren reached down and pressed two of her fingers against Bo's clit, rubbing slow circles that made Bo release her ear and bite her own lip. The sight of pleasure on Bo's face sent a new flood of wetness through Lauren. She pressed her fingers into Bo more firmly, and Bo's breath caught. "God, Lauren…" she ground out, pushing her thumb up at come in contact with Lauren's clit as he fingers still writhed inside of Lauren.

Bo and Lauren continued, speeding up and slowing down, trying to draw out as much pleasure as possible. Lauren pressed Bo's back against the shower wall, desperate to make Bo come first. She wanted to see her face when it happened, wanted to see her features contort in ecstasy. Bo fought back, trying to get Lauren there first, trying to hold herself back, but before long the feelings overcome her.

" _Oh, shit…_ " she groaned when she felt her climax breaking over her. She couldn't hold it off any longer, and it exploded through her with incomprehensible force. Her head dropped back, the shower spray coming over her as her muscles contracted roughly, again and again, against Lauren's hand.

Lauren couldn't look away, her eyes transfixed on Bo's pleasure. She was so distracted by it she was almost surprised when she felt a last twist of Bo's fingers inside of her before her own body came, sweet agony coursing through her and stealing her breath.

They slowly pulled their hands away from one another and shared a kiss, the water from the shower turning cool and beginning to chill them.

"Thank you for the coffee," Lauren said with a smile when Bo reached back to increase the hot water.

"Remind me to do that everyday," Bo said back with a grin, giving Lauren another quick kiss.

* * *

Bo and Lauren arrived at Nate's apartment fifteen minutes late, which they counted as a win, considering they had actually had to put on pants to make themselves get here.

"You late," Kenzi grumbled. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses and in her left hand she was holding possibly the largest cup of coffee that had ever been made in the history of mankind.

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," Bo answered. "We aren't that late."

"They only time you _aren't_ late is when you're meeting each other," Kenzi groused.

"Morning, guys," Nate said, walking up to them.

A smile flickered across Kenzi's face. She stamped it out as fast as she could, but it wasn't before Bo noticed. "You're lucky I love you," she grumbled at Nate.

Nate grinned, unfazed by her bitter demeanor. "I know," she said, kissing her temple before walking off to start gathering boxes. Lauren followed him, asking what she needed to do to get started. Bo hung back for a moment with Kenzi.

"You _loooove_ him," Bo said, teasingly.

Kenzi sighed dramatically, and if Bo could see her eyes, Bo suspected she would have caught sight of a dramatic eye roll as well.

"He makes you all sweet and gooey and romantic," Bo continued.

Kenzi shook her head. "Shut up," she grumbled.

"I bet you hear love songs on the radio and you get all dreamy –"

"Rescheduled those cooking lessons with Lauren yet?" Kenzi shot back, almost loud enough for Lauren to hear.

"Truce," Bo replied.

Kenzi smiled and as she and Bo headed over to start helping with boxes.

* * *

"Wow," Bo said.

"Yeah…it's…uh…" Nate answered.

"Did you always have this much stuff?" Kenzi asked.

Nate shrugged, surveying Bo and Kenzi's living room, which was now a sea of boxes. "I mean, I guess, but…it just never seemed like so much."

"Maybe it's just because it's all in the living room," Lauren said. "It always looks like more when it isn't put away. I'm sure it's not that much."

"We don't even have the furniture in here yet," Bo noted, looking around the room.

"What the hell, you're keeping your _furniture_?" Kenzi exclaimed.

"What do you mean 'am I keeping my furniture'? Of course I am – it's my furniture," Nate answered.

"But I _have_ furniture," Kenzi noted.

"Ugly furniture," Nate answered.

"Are you suggesting that I get rid of my furniture? Because your couch might be more uncomfortable than talking about sex with your grandparents," Kenzi replied.

"You two are _adorable_ ," Bo noted. "Now, can we talk about the fact that we can't walk to the kitchen anymore? Because I feel like that's going to be an issue."

"Why would that be an issue? It sounds more like fire prevention," Lauren said with a smile.

"The coffee pot is in the kitchen," Bo answered. "We must have access to the kitchen."

"Why don't we just put your furniture in a storage locker or something?" Kenzi said.

"Do you have a storage locker?" Nate asked.

"No, but we can rent one, right?"

Nate shrugged. "Alright, so, what, we rent a storage locker, put my furniture in it, pay for every month, and then just leave it there forever?"

"No, of course not," Kenzi answered. "We pay for it for a while, then we stick some weird shit in there, then let it lapse, and then we sit back and wait for people to open it on an episode of 'Storage Wars' and we get to enjoy their freaked out faces while they try to figure out why someone was storing a fifty gallon drum of lube and a Chucky mask."

"Solid plan," Bo said. "Alternatively, we could just use Nate's furniture."

"Hey, Lauren, Bo has been asking when she can do those cooking lessons again, she was just too shy to ask. I would join you, but I'm just so busy."

Lauren smiled. "Why don't you just buy new furniture, together? I mean, it's both of yours now. Why not start fresh?"

"That's a good idea," Bo said. "Just get rid of both sets. It's all pretty ugly anyway."

"We picked out that couch together!" Kenzi said, looking at Bo.

"We _found_ that couch together," Bo amended.

"Wait – what? You _found_ your couch?" Lauren said.

"What the hell, I've slept on that couch!" Nate exclaimed.

"We had it cleaned," Kenzi said with a wave of her hand.

"Where did you find the couch?" Lauren asked.

Bo glanced at her and thought for a moment. "It might be better that you don't know."

"I need a shower…" Lauren said.

"Good luck getting to the bathroom, I think it's stuck behind that box of pot lids," Bo noted.

"You know, I didn't know I had to pee until you pointed out that I couldn't," Nate commented, looking toward the blocked bathroom door.

"You're going to let them throw out our couch?" Kenzi asked Bo.

Bo shrugged. "It really is an ugly couch. And Lauren's right – this is a new start for you guys."

Kenzi sighed. "Alright. Fine. I'll go shopping. Are you all happy now?"

Bo, Lauren, and Nate laughed.

* * *

By 8:00p Nate was almost entirely unpacked. The apartment looked overcrowded; when space had run out in Kenzi's room, Nate's instruments had been placed in the living room, giving the whole apartment a storage room vibe.

Kenzi sighed. "Alright, we'll figure out a better way to arrange it later," she said.

Nate looked around, chewing his bottom lip. "Yeah…I guess I didn't realize how much space it would all take up."

"What are you going to do with all your clothes?" Lauren asked. "Kenzi's closet is already pretty full.

Nate shrugged. "I guess I can get an extra dresser?" he offered.

Bo sighed, stretching her back muscles. "Let's figure it out tomorrow. I need a drink."

"Why don't you two go ahead?" Nate said. "I've still got a few more things to unpack."

Lauren and Bo nodded, heading down to the bar.

"Hey, is it okay if we stay at your place tonight?" Bo asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Sure, why?" Lauren asked.

They heard the sound of something falling in the apartment behind them. "Because I think they might need some alone time," Bo said with a laugh.

Lauren smiled as they made their way into the bar.

After they had gotten their drinking, they grabbed a booth near the back of the bar and sat down. "Kenzi and Nate need more room," Lauren commented.

Bo nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Too bad they can't build on, right?"

Lauren laughed. "Hey…sorry, by the way."

"For what?"

"For the thing about the couch. I was thinking about it, and I realized I sort of advocated for Kenzi throwing out a bunch of stuff that's actually yours, too."

Bo thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you did. I didn't really realize it." Bo took another sip of her drink and shrugged. "But you were right, it is their place now, they should start replacing my and Kenzi's old stuff."

"Their place?" Lauren said with a smile.

Bo thought for another moment, taking another sip. "Our place?"

"Was that a question?" Lauren said with a laugh.

Bo smiled. "It just sounds weird."

Lauren took a sip and then sat her drink down, running her finger around the rim of the glass. "Hey, Bo? Do we…do we live together?"

Bo dropped back and smiled with a sigh. "Seriously? You too?"

Lauren shrugged. "I mean, do we? We really are together every night, we both call each other's apartments 'home'…I don't know. It just sort of feels like we might be."

Bo hesitated. "Do you want us to live together?"

Lauren thought for a second. "I don't like waking up without you. I like coming home and having you be there already. So, I guess…yeah, I want to. Do you?"

Bo smiled. "We're going to have the same problem that Nate and Kenzi have," she commented. "You have way too much stuff in the closet."

"We can figure that out."

"I don't think we can," Bo said, taking another sip.

Lauren glanced at Bo, not sure what to make of her last comment. "Okay…"

"I think we should look for a new place," Bo said. "Somewhere that's…ours."

A grin broke over Lauren's face. "Ours?"

"Ours."

* * *

Let me know what you think


	35. Chapter 35

Hey, guys, how are we all doing today?

So, a few chapters ago someone noted that they enjoyed that the story was progressing with every chapter. To whoever that was - you may have curse me, because I feel like since then we've just been having hang-out chapters. I hope people are alright with this - there will be forward progress again, but lately I seem to be doing more of these sort of everyday chapters that aren't really revolutionary in any way, and are more just "hey, here's a day in their relationship" kind of things. If anyone is getting annoyed with this, I'm sorry, and I promise we'll have more forward progress at some point.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, I can't tell you how much it means to me to see that other people are enjoying this story. It's always great to hear from everyone.

Hope you guys are having a good Monday. Enjoy!

* * *

Lauren woke up feeling confused as Bo kissed her temple. She dragged her eyes open, groggily. She felt a dull ache at the base of her skull and groaned when the morning light hit her eyes.

"Hey, baby," Bo said, kneeling down beside the bed next to her head.

The smell of coffee wafted to Lauren's senses, and she glanced over and saw her mug on the nightstand, steam rising from the top. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Early. Time to get up for work."

Lauren rubbed a hand across her face, trying to shake off the fog of sleep, and looked fully at Bo, noting that she was already dressed. "You're leaving already?"

Bo smiled softly and brushed the hair off Lauren's face, keeping her voice mercifully low. "I need to be at work early today."

Lauren sighed. She liked having time with Bo in the morning – getting ready in tandem, drinking their coffee together, watching the news, making the bed – all the stupid domestic things she had gotten used to over the last months. The throbbing at the base of her skull continued, and she already felt the start of a bad mood coming on. "Why are you going in so early?"

"I got an e-mail about a new case. I got up a few hours ago, and I've been doing some work on it here, but I need to go in and meet with my investigators."

Lauren sighed, feeling irritated. Yes, she knew she was acting petulant, alright? But her head hurt, and she didn't want to get up, and Bo wasn't even going to be around this morning, and she just felt like being crabby. Why couldn't people just obey the law, at least until after she and Bo had finished their coffee together?

Bo leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, her hand softly cradling the back of Lauren's head, and for a moment the headache weakened and her heart sped up and her mood improved. Then Bo pulled back, and the throbbing returned, and Lauren was grumpy again.

"I'll see you tonight," Bo said, running her thumb over Lauren's cheek. "Sorry I'm leaving so early."

"You can't go in just a little bit later?" Lauren asked. God, she sounded pathetic – but, honestly, she was lacking the desire to care that much.

Bo smiled at her, her eyes turning warm in the way that captivated Lauren. It was a look Lauren had never seen Bo give anyone else – it was a smile just for her, a smile no one else could get from her. Lauren felt possessive over it, loving that it was just hers, something that only she could get from Bo.

"I love you," Bo said, her fingers skimming Lauren's jawline. "Have a good day."

Lauren sighed. It wasn't going to be a good day. A day that started with Bo leaving wasn't going to be a good day.

Bo gave her another affectionate grin, as if she could read Lauren's thoughts. "Come on, Doctor Lewis. You have lives to save."

Lauren hesitated a moment. "Can it be Wednesday?" she asked.

Bo leaned in and gave her another kiss. "I'll do my best to make it Wednesday," she answered.

* * *

Lauren's day didn't improve after Bo left.

To start with, she scaled her tongue on the coffee, overestimating how long it had been waiting for her on the nightstand, a friendly little reminder for the rest of the day that Bo had left before they had their morning together.

This was followed by the realization that the dry cleaner had forgotten to put one of her shirts, the shirt she was planning to wear today, in with her and Bo's clean clothes. Perfect. Just fucking perfect.

She made it to the hospital dangerously close to being late, and was immediately greeted with what felt like hundreds of people needing her attention, _stat_ , and of course the ever incompetent Dr. Myers fucking up everything he touched.

By 11:30a, Lauren was back in her office. She dug through her desk drawer until she found an old bottle of Tylenol, popping three in her mouth, hoping to ease the headache. She hated waking up with headaches – those were the worst. She knew it was because Fall was almost here, and her allergies were preparing to torment her. The bright side was that all she really needed to do was go to the pharmacy and pick up some allergy pills and soon this would fade away, but that didn't help her _right now_ , did it, so her mood stayed sour.

She grabbed her phone and checked her messages.

Bo: _Don't hate me._

Lauren groaned. She just couldn't catch a fucking break today.

Lauren: _Seriously?_

Bo: _This case is more involved than I expected. I promise I'll make it up to you._

Lauren: _I miss you._ Needy? Yes. True? Also yes.

Bo: _I promise I'll get out of here by 5, 5:30 at the latest. I'll bring dinner home. What do you want to eat?_

Lauren: _I don't care._

Bo: _Sucky day?_

Lauren: _Yeah._

Bo: _I'm sorry._

Lauren sighed. This wasn't Bo's fault, not really. She was just in a bad mood. She knew she needed to get over it, snap herself out of it and act like a damn professional and adult, but really, Universe? All she wanted was to see her girlfriend. Was that too much to ask?

Lauren: _It's fine. Sorry I'm in a bad mood._

Bo: _Don't apologize for that. You don't have to be in a good mood for me._

Lauren smiled in spite of herself.

Lauren: _I really, really love you. Do you know that?_

Bo: _I caught that. I really, really love you, too._

* * *

At 2:30p Lauren was back in her office. She had been running around the hospital all day, and she had finally found a few free minutes to eat a mushy vending machine sandwich. _The perfect lunch for this day_ , she thought, grumpily. She sat her desk and started to open it when she heard a light knock on her door.

She sighed. Great. What now?

She got up and opened the door and felt her heart skip when she saw Bo standing outside of it, holding two lattes.

"Hi," Bo said with a smile, extending a cup toward her.

"What are you doing here?" Lauren asked, accepting the cup and letting Bo walk in, closing the office door behind her.

"The front desk let me come up. I thought you might need some coffee. I have a meeting in," Bo looked at her watch, "about fifteen minutes, so I thought I would come by for a second."

Lauren sat her coffee cup down on her desk, and then reached over and took Bo's from her, sitting it on the desk as well. Bo looked her, momentarily confused, but before she had time to question the action Lauren pulled her in to a deep kiss.

Bo pulled her in closer when Lauren tangled her tongue against Bo's, and Lauren sighed into the kiss, feeling herself sinking. Bo's left arm was snaked around Lauren, her hand resting on Lauren's ass, and her right arm was angled upwards, pressing between Lauren's shoulder blades, keeping them pressed tightly together. For her part, Lauren's hands were on the sides of Bo's face, her fingers curling to the back of Bo's head, and God, this woman was perfection.

And Lauren wanted more.

Just as the thought went through Lauren's mind, however, she heard her pager going off on the desk behind her.

She groaned. "Shit, what now," she muttered, grudgingly untangling herself from Bo as she went to check who was trying to contact her.

Bo cleared her throat and gathered herself, trying to shake off the fog Lauren had cast over her. She crossed to the desk and grabbed her coffee, and then stepped over to Lauren and gave her one last quick kiss. "It's okay, I have to go, too," she said.

Lauren sighed. "Okay," she said, her tone communicating exactly how _not_ okay she felt this situation was. "I'll see you at home."

Bo curled a finger and put it under Lauren's chin, giving her a soft kiss goodbye. "I hope your day gets better. I love you."

Lauren smiled. "I love you, too. Thank you for the coffee."

"Anytime," Bo said. "Text me what you want for dinner."

Lauren nodded and watched as Bo walked out the door, sighing when she heard her pager give another shout. She grabbed a sip of her latte… _fuck_ , that was hot…grabbed her lab coat, and went back out into the hospital.

* * *

At 6:00p Lauren walked into her apartment and found it empty. She glanced at the time – wasn't Bo supposed to be home by now?

She sighed. Of course Bo was running late. If there was one thing to be said out this day, it was consistent. She flopped onto the couch, turning on the TV, looking for something mindless to watch. The headache was creeping up behind her again, and her mood was trending ever more bitchward, and _fuck it_ , where was Bo?

At 6:30p the door opened and a tired looking Bo walked in, carry sushi. "Hey," she said, carrying the food to the counter. "Sorry I'm late."

She walked over to the couch and sat down beside a grumpy Lauren. Lauren shrugged. She wanted to be mad. She was in a bad mood, and she just wanted to be mad for a few minutes. Yes, it wasn't Bo's fault, and yes, Bo had probably had a long day, too, but for a minute – Lauren just wanted to be mad.

Bo looked at her for a second, studying her face, while Lauren continued to look at the TV screen. After a moment, Lauren saw Bo in her periphery turn to look at the TV as well. For a second, this irritated Lauren further. She was about to say something when she felt Bo's hand come up and pull her slightly, angling Lauren away from Bo. Before Lauren could say anything, she felt Bo's thumbs pressing into her neck, moving in circles, releasing the tension and the knots that had formed there.

Lauren sighed in relief as she felt her headache start fading away. Bo continued not to say anything, her fingers working at the muscles in her neck before drifting out to rub her shoulders and upper back. Lauren's eyes sagged closed, feeling the tension in her body drift away as her muscles melted under Bo's hands.

She wasn't sure how long the impromptu massage lasted, but at some point she became dimly aware that Bo had scooted closer behind her and that she was sagging back against Bo's chest.

"I'm sorry you've had a shitty day," Bo whispered into Lauren's ear, before kissing her lightly behind the ear, making Lauren shiver. "Tell me what happened."

"I didn't get to have my morning with you," Lauren answered. And the fact was, that was it – that was really what her issue was. Yeah, she had a headache, and yeah, people at work had been annoying, but she had the distinct feeling that if she had just managed to have her morning with Bo, her normal morning with her normal routine, that things would have seemed different.

Bo kissed Lauren again, again behind the ear, and Lauren's eyes dropped closed as her head tilted slightly of its own volition to give Bo easier access.

Bo didn't say anything, continuing to rub Lauren's shoulders a bit longer. A few minutes later, Bo gently turned Lauren to lay her head down on her breasts, wrapping her arms around Lauren and rubbing a finger gently over the shell of Lauren's ear soothingly. Lauren relaxed into Bo, listening to Bo's heartbeat reassuringly sounding in her chest.

"You need to eat. You've had a long day, too," Lauren said, but she didn't make an effort to move away, enjoying feeling Bo's chest rising and falling slightly as she breathed.

"We can eat later," Bo said. "For now, I'm good right here."

Lauren smiled and turned her face to press it into Bo's chest, breathing deeply. A few minutes later she lifted her head again, and gave Bo a long kiss. It wasn't intense, it wasn't urgent, it was slow and gentle and it made Lauren feel like her day was being repaired somehow, taken apart and refitted back together in the right order.

When Lauren pulled back she looked into Bo's eyes, and Bo smiled back at her, running the pad of her thumb over Lauren's lips. "Come on," Bo said. "Let's eat dinner."

She and Lauren got up and walked to the kitchen, Bo pulling out plates, and Lauren opening the bag to reveal the food.

"So, tell me about this case," Lauren said, retrieving chopsticks from the bottom of the bag.

Bo shook her head. "Trust me, you've already had a shitty day, you don't want to hear about it."

Lauren glanced at her, regarding her quietly for a moment. "You've had a shitty day, too, haven't you?"

Bo shrugged. "I didn't get to have my morning with you," she said with a smile.

Lauren laughed. "Are we pathetic?"

"Yes, we are."

Lauren nodded. "Do we care?"

"No," Bo answered.

They ate quietly for a few minutes.

"So where do we want to live?" Bo said in between bites.

Lauren smiled. "I don't know. Somewhere between both of our works would be good."

Bo nodded. "Definitely. Somewhere with a lot of windows," she added.

"Maybe a balcony?"

"That sounds nice. We need big closets, because your wardrobe is out of control."

"Really? _My_ wardrobe is out of control?" Lauren said with a laugh.

"Absolutely."

"You have way more clothes than I do," Lauren noted.

"Yes, but as I have said before, you don't _need_ clothes," Bo said with a grin.

Lauren laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure my patients would feel like they were getting great care if I showed up every day nude."

"I would literally break my leg four times a week if you would take care of me nude," Bo said, solemnly.

Lauren just laughed and shook her head.

* * *

After cleaning up dinner, Bo and Lauren watched TV for a while, talking and joking about nothing in particular. When they started yawning, they headed to bed.

When they had crawled beneath the sheets, Bo molded herself to Lauren's back and wrapped her arms around Lauren. A few moments passed, and Lauren felt Bo's hand move, reaching to Lauren's underwear and pressing against her. Lauren inhaled a quick breath, feeling a tingling run through her at the contact.

Bo continued for a few moments until Lauren could feel the wetness pooling around Bo's fingers. She tried to turn over, tried to reach for Bo, but Bo gently pushed her back, continuing her ministrations. "Not tonight," Bo said into Lauren's ear. "Tonight is just about you."

Bo continued on, stroking Lauren, pushing her fingers in and out, rubbing her clit delicately, and then firmly, and then softly again, until Lauren felt like she was going to die if she didn't soon have release. Bo sensed her desperation, noting the strangled noises she made and how her hips were moving, trying to push herself over the edge.

Bo leaned in, and just as she pushed her fingers against Lauren's clit, circling her, and making her come, she huskily whispered "God, I fucking love you," into Lauren's ear.

Lauren felt like she was breaking apart. She was fairly certain she was having an out of body experience. Everything seemed far away, like a distant echo; all that she knew for sure was that her body was lost in a sea of pleasure as her muscles convulsed and pulsed against Bo's hand. When she came back to herself, she was out of breath and felt boneless. She turned her head and caught Bo's lips, kissing her.

They settled back against each other, drowsiness coming over them, and they both began to sink into sleep. As her eyes drifted shut, Lauren smiled.

 _All in all, not a bad day_ she thought as sleep washed over her.

* * *

As always, I love hearing what you think of this chapter and the story generally. Let me know.


	36. Chapter 36

What up, people

So based on the response to the last chapter, everyone seems mostly okay with the pacing and the format of the storytelling. I'm glad, because frankly I'm enjoying writing this story - this is really the first time I've tried to write a purely romance/relationship story with no real other plot, and I'm glad that you guys seem to be having an okay time with it.

Hope everyone likes this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"This is ridiculous. Give me one good reason why we need to do this so early in the morning," Kenzi groused, standing behind the bar in the Dal.

"We do this every year, cranky," Dyson answered her. "And every year you whine and complain."

"Then maybe you should take that as a hint and stop making me come," Kenzi shot back.

Dyson rolled his eyes and laughed.

"You're a part owner of the bar, Kenzi. You have to be here," Bo said, making notes on the pad she was holding.

"We _know_ what we have, we're all here all the time. I don't see why we have to do inventory," Kenzi complained.

"Because the holidays are going to be here before you know it, and we all know that our schedules start getting sketchy, and we don't want a repeat of three years ago, do we?" Bo answered.

"That was a one-time thing," Kenzi said with a wave of her hand," and besides, it wasn't even that big of a deal."

"We ran out of liquor, Kenzi," Dyson replied.

"But it's not like we had to close or anything, I took care of it," said Kenzi.

"By going to every liquor store in a thirty mile radius and buying liquor at full retail price, yes, you did handle it. And we barely broke even," Bo noted.

"We didn't take a loss, though…"

"Just do the inventory, Kenzi," Dyson said.

"Why do we have to get up so early to do this every year?" Kenzi continued to complain.

"It's two in the afternoon," Tamsin said, walking out of the back room.

"When Tamsin is calling you out for sleeping too late, it's time to reevaluate your life," Dyson said with a smile. Tamsin punched him in the upper arm as she walked past. "Ow," he said, still smiling.

"Alright, you have a case of stirring straws in the basement, and more than enough napkins," Lauren said, coming up from the basement.

"Oh, hey, by the way," Kenzi said, sitting on a bar stool and looking at Bo, "when are you going to move your stuff out of the apartment?"

Bo glanced over at Kenzi. "What do you mean, 'when am I going to move my stuff'? I live there."

"No, you don't."

Bo sighed. "Kenzi –"

Before Bo could continue, Kenzi cut her off. "When was the last time you stayed there?"

"I paid half of the bills last month. That's all that matters."

"Just move some stuff to my place," Lauren said. "We're going to have to do it eventually anyway."

"How romantic," Tamsin said, laughing. "Is that how you ask your girlfriend to move in with you?"

"We're looking for an apartment, alright? We don't live together yet," Bo said, continuing to sort the items under the bar.

"You live together now, you just don't have joint lease," Ciara said, walking into the main room of the bar.

"Another country heard from," Lauren said.

"I'm really looking forward to this constant argument being over," Bo said, looking at Lauren.

Lauren laughed, kneeling down beside Bo to help her sort boxes. While the rest of the gang continued to talk, Lauren waited until everyone was looking away before leaning over and giving Bo a kiss on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to it, too."

Bo looked over at her and smiled. Just then, the door to the Dal burst open.

"Ladies and gents, I have found the one!" Vex announced loudly, strolling into the bar.

"How come _you_ don't have to do inventory?" Kenzi said, looking at Vex.

"Because I'm an investor – I give you children money, and in turn I don't have to do demeaning tasks," Vex answered.

"Speaking of demeaning, who is this one you're talking about?" Tamsin asked.

A tall man with dark blond hair walked into the bar behind Vex. "Uh, I think that might be me?" he said, uncertainly. "And, as I keep telling you, Vex, I'm married."

Vex waved his hand. "Temporary obstacle, love."

Lauren stood up from behind the bar when she heard the other man's voice. " _Michael?_ " she said.

The man started grinning broadly. "Hey, Lo."

Lauren darted out from behind the bar and wrapped him in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Jenn had to go out of town, and nothing much was going on at work, so I thought, hey, why not come see Lauren for a few days?" he said with a smile. "Plus, Vex told me you were working in a bar, and I didn't believe it."

Lauren laughed and turned to the rest of the group, keeping a hand on Michael's arm. "Everyone, this is Michael, my older brother. Michael, this is Tamsin, Dyson, Ciara, Kenzi, and Bo."

"Hi, everyone," Michael said with a wave and smile, and Bo noted how similar the quirk of his mouth was to Lauren's.

Everyone responded with their greetings, and Lauren ushered Michael to a barstool.

"Drink?" Dyson said, grabbing him a glass.

"Oh, so for him we have plenty of liquor," Kenzi said, rolling her eyes.

"We aren't _out_ of liquor, do you understand what 'inventory' is?" Bo asked.

"Whatever."

"Give him a shot of something, lower his inhibitions," Vex said to Dyson. "I always have had a thing for blonds."

"You have a thing for anyone with a pulse," Tamsin replied.

Michael gave Lauren a bemused smile. "Wow. Interesting group."

"You have no idea," Lauren said. "So how long are you in town? I feel like I haven't talked to you in…God…like six months."

"That's because you haven't, because you never call," Michael answered with a playful smile. "I'm just here for a few days, until Tuesday. Jenn had a conference."

"Are you staying with me?" Lauren asked.

Michael shrugged. "I mean, I know I didn't call or anything, but I wouldn't say no to a couch."

"Bo, looks like you have a houseguest," Kenzi said. Bo shot her a warning glare.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Lauren and Bo live together," Tamsin chimed in helpfully, failing to see the death glare Bo had made at Kenzi.

"Oh, really?" Michael said, turning to Lauren with a slight smile. "Funny, you never mentioned you were living with someone."

"That's because she isn't," Bo said. "Please ignore…well, everyone."

Michael gave Bo a warm smile. "So you're the famous Bo I've heard so much about," he said.

"Michael…" Lauren said, under her breath, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Bo looked at her, seeing her embarrassment, and felt amused. It hadn't been lost on her that Michael had noted he hadn't talked to Lauren for six months, and yet he had already heard about her. She filed the information away for later.

Michael turned back to Lauren. "So, the real reason I wanted to come see you is because I wanted to show you something," Michael said.

"What?" Lauren asked.

Michael set down his drink and pulled a black and white picture out of his pocket.

Lauren hesitated for a moment, looking at the picture. "Is that…?"

Michael grinned broadly. "Congratulations."

Lauren squealed and pulled Michael into a hug. "Hey, want to fill us in?" Tamsin asked.

Lauren held up the picture, and everyone pressed in slightly closer to look at it.

"Is that –" Ciara started.

"— the inside of your wife's vagina?" Vex finished.

Tamsin turned at looked at Vex for a moment. "It's a blessing to all women that you didn't go into obstetrics."

"Into what?"

"Exactly."

"You're going to be an aunt?" Bo said, smiling widely.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Lauren said, her smile threatening to split her cheeks. Michael laughed at her obvious excitement and she pulled him into another hug.

* * *

Lauren and Michael left the bar a little bit later, heading back to Lauren's house. Before she left, Bo pulled Lauren aside. "Hey, do you just want to call me later?"

Lauren looked at her, slightly confused. "About what?"

"About…well, nothing, I guess, just when Michael goes to bed, to say goodnight, or whatever."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you coming home?"

"Well, I mean…I guess I just figured you guys would want some time alone to catch up. I didn't want to be in the way."

Lauren smiled and leaned in, giving Bo a light kiss. "When you're done here, come over. We'll hang out, I'll make dinner for us all. Okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"If he wants to hang out with me, he gets to hang out with you," Lauren said, giving Bo another light kiss. "We're a package deal." Lauren's tone was still wired and giddy, and Bo found herself smiling back, infected by Lauren's good mood.

"Hey – you're going to be an _aunt_ ," Bo said.

" _I know._ Crazy, right?"

"You're going to be an awesome aunt."

Lauren grinned wider and gave Bo a final kiss. "Come over as soon as you're done, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Bo arrived at Lauren's house a few hours later and was greeted by the smell of Lauren's cooking. She had gotten used to it – Lauren was a really good cook, and somehow, no matter what she made, it made the whole house smell delicious.

She offered to help, and laughed when Lauren had said _no_ in a tone that almost sounded afraid for her own safety. Instead, while Lauren worked, Bo and Michael sat at the counter and the three talked.

Bo was surprised; she had somehow expected the conversation to feel awkward, or stilted. She didn't know Michael, after all, and with Lauren's attention diverted by the food she was worried that she and Michael were going to lapse into long phases of uncomfortable silence.

She was pleasantly surprised, however. Michael and Lauren really weren't that much alike – that was clear fairly quickly – but despite this, Michael was friendly, and pleasant, and easy to talk to.

"So," Bo said, turning to Michael, a glass of wine in hand. "Tell me what Lauren was like when she was little."

Michael glanced at Lauren with a smirk, and Lauren turned to him, giving him a warning gaze. He took a sip of his own wine, then sat the glass down and cleared his throat. "If I were to describe Lauren: The Early Years in one word, I would say…goth."

Bo nearly choked.

Michael laughed at Bo's reaction and put his hand up. "Okay, okay, so she wasn't really goth, but she did have an AC/DC tee shirt."

"Really," Bo said, glancing at Lauren.

"I was a normal teenager," Lauren said, with a roll of her eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far," Michael said. "You _did_ have a rebellious streak."

"Now this I definitely want to hear," Bo said, smiling at Michael.

"Hm," Michael said, thinking as he took another sip. "Well, take for example her first kiss. Now, for some girls, a first kiss might be at a school dance, or after some innocent movie date, but for Lauren –"

Lauren turned quickly, wooden spoon in hand. "How do you know about that? I never told you that story."

"Please, I read your diary constantly," Michael said.

"Michael!"

"Oh, like you didn't read mine," Michael answered, rolling his eyes.

"You didn't _have_ one," Lauren pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah. Huh, I guess you're right," Michael said, smiling.

"You are such an ass," Lauren said, shaking her head.

"Speaking of ass," Michael said, turning back to Bo, "did she ever tell you about the time she –"

" _Michael!_ " Lauren said, cutting him off.

"Hey, not fair, I want to hear the stories!" Bo protested.

Michael laughed and put his hands up. "Alright, alright. How about I tell you about the time –"

Lauren cut him off again. "No. I get to pre-approve the stories you tell my girlfriend. You know way too many embarrassing things."

"She's seen you naked, Lauren, how many secrets do you have?"

"I like the way he thinks," Bo said, grinning at Lauren.

"I hate you both," Lauren groused.

Bo and Michael laughed. "Alright, _fine_ , if I can't tell her stories, then I'm doing this," Michael said, standing up from the chair and crossing the living room.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, glancing at him as she stirred.

"Well, you are so predictable, so that means that your photo albums are right…ah ha!" Michael pulled out two boxes stuffed with pictures.

Bo walked over and sat beside him on the floor as he opened the boxes, revealing old photos.

Bo started leafing through them, her eyes catching on one she clearly knew was Lauren based on the bright smile and innocent eyes. "Oh my God, you were so adorable!" Bo said, looking at the pictures.

Lauren groaned. "Come on, that's a box of bad hair and seriously questionable fashion choices. Put it away."

Michael and Bo laughed, continuing to go through the pictures.

* * *

When dinner was done, Bo, Michael, and Lauren returned to the floor, going through the pictures together. Bo laughed as she saw young Lauren growing up before her eyes, and as she listened to Lauren and Michael banter back and forth about amusing stories from when they were kids.

At 10:30p, Bo caught sight of Michael yawning out of the corner of her eye. When Lauren got up to take a glass to the sink, Bo followed her.

"Hey," she said. "I think I'm going to get ready to go."

Lauren turned and looked at her. "What? Why?"

"You guys need time to catch up, and I don't want it to get weird because I'm here or anything. Plus, you don't have a guest room, and if I leave he can just sleep in your room with you."

"You don't have to go, Michael isn't weirded out by you being here, and he's fine on the couch. Trust me. I've seen him sleep sitting upright on bleachers. He can sleep anywhere."

Bo smiled softly. "I know. I just feel like you guys might need a little space. You haven't seen him in a long time."

"I don't want you to go," Lauren said. It wasn't said plaintively, or desperately – it was simply a statement, a fact.

Bo smiled and leaned in to give Lauren a light kiss. "I'll stay if you tell me some of the stories you wouldn't let Michael share with me."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Bo laughed. She turned back to where Michael was sitting on the floor, crossing back over to him. "Hey, Michael, it was really nice to meet you. I think I'm going to head home."

"Don't feel like you have to leave on my account," Michael said, standing up. "I don't want to run you off."

Bo smiled. "You aren't, really, I brought some work home I need to get to."

"Okay. I hope we can get together some more before I leave," Michael said. "Maybe I can sneak some of those stories past Lauren."

"You can't," Lauren said.

Bo smiled. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Are you free for lunch tomorrow?" Michael asked.

Bo glanced at Lauren, and seeing that Lauren seemed okay with the idea, she turned back to Michael. "That sounds great. I'll call you guys in the morning."

"Come on, I'll walk you out," Lauren said.

Bo finished bidding her goodnights to Michael, and she and Lauren stepped outside.

"I wish you weren't leaving," Lauren said, running a finger through the front of Bo's hair.

Bo smiled. "You guys should catch up."

"I know, I just…I don't like you sleeping somewhere that I'm not, that's all."

Bo grinned and leaned in, giving Lauren a kiss. "Dinner was incredible. Thank you for cooking."

"Anytime."

"Are you okay with me hanging out with guys tomorrow? If you all want some time to yourselves –"

Lauren cut Bo off with a kiss. "Please come with us."

Bo smiled. "Okay."

They leaned into one another and kissed for a bit longer. "I love you," Bo said, quietly, when they broke apart.

"I love you, too," Lauren answered, her forehead against Bo's.

"You should probably go back in. He's going to be wondering what happened to you."

Lauren nodded. "Hey, I know this is corny but…text me when you get home, okay? Just so I know you got there safely."

Bo smiled. "God, you're cute."

Lauren smiled and kissed her again, saying goodnight.

When Lauren walked back inside, she felt slightly bereft. Yes, it was one night, and yes, she would see Bo again in roughly twelve hours, but it wasn't the same was waking up beside her, as seeing how clear her eyes looked when she first opened them in the morning.

Her thoughts were tangled on Bo as she saw Michael sitting on the couch, with the TV turned on. She dropped down beside him.

"So," Michael said, his eyes on the TV, "did I just spend my first evening with my future sister-in-law?"

Lauren was quiet for a moment. "I hope so," she answered.

* * *

Let me know what you think


	37. Chapter 37

What's crackin' ladies and gents.

So, I sat down to start writing this chapter with a clear scene in mind. And then I didn't write it. I got working on this and realized i I went all the way through the scene I had planned this chapter was going to be insanely long, so instead, I'm going to break it up. As a result, this is a pretty short chapter. We're also keeping it pretty low key. You know, as I type that I realize I lie to you all a lot...so maybe this is the chapter where all Hell breaks loose. You don't know.

As soon as I get time I'll write the next part. Until then, hope everyone likes this piece.

Enjoy!

* * *

Bo: _Made it home. Only hit four pedestrians and clipped two street signs. Got a concussion, but it's healing nicely._

Lauren read the message and couldn't hold back the laughing smile that came over her face. She was about to text back when Michael spoke. "Good Lord, you have it bad," he said with a laugh.

"What?"

"That look you got when she texted you," Michael said.

Lauren hesitated for a moment, debating how hard she wanted to fight this. "You don't know that it was Bo texting…" she said, lamely.

Michael didn't say anything, opting instead to give Lauren a withering _come on, seriously?_ look.

Lauren sighed. "Alright, so it was Bo."

"Oh, really? It was? I had no idea," Michael said with an eye roll.

Lauren hit him playfully. "Shut up. Like I haven't watched you make your fair share of goofy faces when you were talking to Jenn."

"So, what are we thinking? Wedding in two months? Three? I know it's going to be soon," Michael teased, slouching down further into the couch.

"We've only been dating for a little while. We're happy. I'm not trying to rush anything."

"So, like, four months, then?"

Lauren rolled her eyes, laughing.

Michael laughed as well. "Alright, alright, fight it all you want. I'm just saying, you didn't get that goofy look when you talked to Nadia."

"I loved Nadia," Lauren defended.

"I know you did," Michael said, nodding. "I'm just saying you didn't love her like you love Bo."

Lauren thought about the statement for a moment. "She's just…I don't know. She's Bo. She's special."

"She's the one," Michael said in a matter of fact tone.

Lauren didn't answer, taking a sip of her wine.

They sat in quiet for a few moments, absentmindedly watching TV. When Michael spoke again, he did not move his eyes from the screen. "Mom said you haven't been returning her calls," he said, his voice calm and low.

Lauren gave no reaction.

After waiting a few moments and hearing nothing, Michael continued. "She said she hasn't talked to you in about six months, actually. So, by my math, you haven't really talked to her since you started dating Bo."

Lauren took another sip, still not saying anything. When she continued to remain quiet, Michael glanced over at her, sighing.

"Look, I get it, okay? I get that you two have issues. But she does care about you," Michael said.

"I wasn't interested in telling her about Bo and then hearing how this was a phase, or that I shouldn't tell anyone, or that this is just a phase Bo is going through, or that this could be bad for my career, or whatever else," Lauren said.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, that's fair. For what it's worth, I think she's starting to accept it."

"Six years later. How progressive."

Michael sighed again and reached over, pulling Lauren against his chest. "She misses you. And when she misses you, she calls me. Please stop making me talk to my mother. It hurts my street cred."

"You work with computers. You have no street cred."

"Still, talking to my mother every day isn't helping."

"True."

Lauren laid against Michael a while longer, relaxing against him. A few minutes later, she heard his phone buzzing. She glanced up when he pulled it out and looked at the screen, a bright smile flashing through his eyes.

Lauren sat up, patting his shoulder. "Go talk to your wife," she said with a smile.

Michael grinned at her, standing up. "What can I say? She's the one," he said, hitting the button on his phone to accept the call and exiting the room.

When he walked out, Lauren grabbed her phone again.

Lauren: _Glad you made it safely. I still wish you had stayed._

Bo: _Yeah, in retrospect this was a dumb idea. You don't need time with your brother. That's what Thanksgiving is for._

Lauren smiled.

Lauren: _Great. So come back._

Bo: _Don't tempt me, Lewis. I'm trying to make a good impression on your brother._

Lauren: _We need a two bedroom apartment to avoid this issue in the future._

Bo _I found some places for us to look at. I meant to show you earlier, but I got distracted by all the pictures of you._

Lauren: _God, those pictures are horrible._

Bo: _You were adorable. Still are, as a matter of fact._

Lauren: _You have an unfair advantage. I'm petitioning Kenzi and Dyson for embarrassing Bo photos and stories._

Bo: _You can try, but I have a lot of dirt on them. You might find they have very little to say._

Lauren grinned. Bo and Lauren continued texting back and forth for a while, and after what felt like only a few minutes, Michael walked back out, tucking his phone back in his pocket.

"Still texting her? Geez, I was talking to the mother of my future child and I managed to wrap it up in thirty minutes. You really do have it bad."

Lauren smiled. "Hey," she said, "you're going to be a _dad._ My big brother is going to be someone's _dad._ "

"Don't remind me, I'm having a heart attack every twenty minutes as it is," Michael said with a smile.

"Well, don't worry, if you screw up it will only affect the kid for life."

"Helpful," Michael said with a laugh.

* * *

Bo plugged her phone into the charge in her bedroom and slid under the sheets. Well, this sucked. It had been a while since she had last slept alone; had she really been a fan of this in the past? It seemed like a long time ago now.

She turned over on her side, facing Lauren's side of the bed. This was ridiculous – she was sleeping alone, she could sleep in the middle and give herself more space. But the problem was, that was _Lauren's_ side. It didn't belong to Bo anymore. And sleeping there would just underscore that fact that Bo was in this bed alone. At least if she stayed on her own side she could pretend that Lauren had just gotten up for a minute, that she was on her way back.

God, she really was pathetic.

With a sigh, Bo let her eyes fall closed and waited patiently for sleep to find her.

* * *

When Bo woke up she was on Lauren's side of the bed, her face pressed into the pillow. She took a deep breath and caught the smell of Lauren on it, and smiled. Well, she made it through the night. At least that was over. She took one last deep breath and pushed herself up, refusing to acknowledge in her mind that Michael wasn't leaving town today, or even tomorrow, and there was a reasonable chance she wouldn't get to spend the night with Lauren until Tuesday night. Whatever.

She stood up, stretching her back, and looked at the time. 6:07a. Okay, so too soon to text Lauren. With a slight yawn, Bo crossed to the bathroom, carrying her phone with her.

Bo had just finished brushing her teeth when the phone buzzed on the counter beside her.

Lauren: _Good morning._

Bo grinned and texted back _what are you doing up so early?_

Lauren: _Michael snores. And kicks._

Bo: _Sounds like you had a fun night._

Lauren: _Hey, go to your door real quick._

Bo read the message, feeling confused. Grabbing her robe, she dropped her phone in her pocket and walked to the door.

When she opened she found Lauren, clad in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, waiting for her, holding two cups of a coffee.

"Morning," she said with a smile.

Bo grinned back. "What are you doing here?"

Lauren shrugged. "Michael sleeps late, and I missed you. Coffee?"

"God, you do know the way to my heart," Bo said, accepting the cup and letting Lauren in. Bo took a sip and hummed her appreciation as Lauren crossed the room to sit down at the counter. Bo followed her. "How did you know I would be up?" Bo said.

Lauren looked at Bo out of the corner of her eye and smiled. "Because you're always up by this time," she answered.

Bo smiled and leaned in, giving Lauren a kiss. When they broke apart, Lauren looked at Bo quizzically. "Did you just brush your teeth?"

"Yeah…"

"And you're drinking coffee?"

"What, is that like a weird health risk or something?" Bo asked.

"Doesn't it taste terrible?" Lauren asked, bewildered.

Bo looked at her, her face showing confusion. "It's _coffee_ , Lauren. It can't taste terrible."

"You have a problem," Lauren said, shaking her head.

"Hey, you're the one out getting coffee before 7a, who really has the problem," Bo joked. "You know, you could have just come over, I would have made you coffee."

"Yeah, but if I just showed up I would look needy and pathetic. I needed a ruse to get over here. Hence the coffee."

"Clever," Bo said. "I'll never see through that."

"I know, right? It's brilliant," Lauren said, smiling.

* * *

Bo and Lauren finished their coffee at 7:30a. After a kiss goodbye, Lauren headed back home, trying to enter quietly.

"Mornin', sunshine," Michael said with a grin as she walked in.

Lauren startled slightly, not expecting to see him. "Oh…hey," she said.

"So, where have you been?" he said, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, just, you know…out for a jog," Lauren answered.

Michael nodded. "Right. Because you always go for early morning runs wearing jeans."

Lauren rolled her eyes, kicking off her shoes.

"So, how's Bo?" Michael asked, the shit eating grin still plastered on his face.

Lauren sighed. "She's fine. Shut up."

Michael just laughed.

* * *

Ridiculously short? Yes. Still, please let me know what you think.


	38. Chapter 38

Welcome back, everyone. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review - you have no idea how much I love hearing from you.

So, we're 38 chapters in. Seems like a good time to change the story telling format for a chapter, right? Sure it does. That's not weird at all. LET'S DO THIS.

Not going to lie to you all - some shit goes down in this chapter. That actually isn't a joke for once.

Enjoy!

* * *

Dr. Lauren Lewis was about to make a mistake.

A huge fucking mistake.

"So?" the pretty woman standing in front of her asked.

She sighed. She shouldn't do this; this was probably going to ruin everything she had with Bo. This could be the end of the whole relationship. This was a terrible fucking idea.

She sighed and looked at the woman again, who was waiting expectantly for her to say something. She needed to just say "no, forget it" and walk out. That's what a smart person, a person who wanted to preserve a pretty fucking amazing relationship, would do.

She shouldn't do this. There was no question about that.

And yet, here she was, still standing here, still looking at the woman with the dark hair and dark eyes, and maybe this was a mistake she just needed to make. Her thoughts went back over the last few days, over what had happened and…fuck, maybe she just needed to do this. Maybe she just needed to do this, get her mind off of it, and move on. Besides, Bo didn't need to know, right? She could just keep this to herself. She would get this out of her system, and things would be fine.

Right?

* * *

 _Sunday_

Bo met Michael and Lauren for lunch at 11:30a at a tiny café. When she arrived Michael and Lauren were already there, sitting at a table outside, drinking coffee and laughing. She smiled as she walked up, caught for a moment by the way the light hit Lauren's hair.

"Hey, Bo," Michael said, warmly, when he saw her.

Bo smiled. "Hey, guys, am I late?"

Lauren, taking a sip of her coffee, shook her head 'no.' Before she could vocalize the thought, however, Michael chimed in. "Not all. We were crazy early because your girlfriend here was in such a rush to see you."

He said it playfully, but Bo saw a slight blush rise to Lauren's cheeks and she felt a smile split her own face. Lauren shot Michael a withering look that Bo felt confident was a classic "I'm going to murder you later look" that many siblings shared.

Bo leaned down and gave Lauren a kiss, resting her hand lightly on the back of Lauren's head. "Hi," she said, simply, making eye contact with Lauren.

Lauren grinned. "Hey. I ordered you coffee."

As if on cue, a waitress walked over with a mug, and set it in front of Bo.

"Wow, this place has really great service," Bo said with a laugh. She sat down and took a sip, nearly spitting it back into the cup immediately. "What the hell is that?!"

"Decaf," Lauren said calmly.

Bo stared at Lauren in open-mouthed horror. "Why would…but… _why?_ Why would you do that? It's _coffee_. It's _sacred._ "

Lauren took another sip and shrugged. When she put her cup down, Bo reached over, switching her coffee with Lauren's, and took a sip.

She shot Lauren a look. " _Seriously?_ You ordered decaf too?"

Michael looked at Lauren with a slight amused smile. "Wow, you were right, I didn't think she'd steal your coffee."

Bo glanced over at Michael, eyeing his cup. "Mine is decaf, too," he said. "I promised my wife I wouldn't drink caffeine as long as she couldn't."

Bo slouched back in her chair. "You know I'm ordering real coffee as soon as the waitress comes back," she said to Lauren.

"You can try, but I told her if she refused to give it to you, I'd double her tip. So you might find that she is 'all out' of regular coffee."

Bo stared at Lauren for a moment, gauging the truth of the statement. "This is payback for looking at the pictures, isn't it?"

Lauren took a sip and let out an exaggerated _ahh._ "Sure is," she answered with a smirk.

"I will get you for this," Bo said.

Michael looked back and forth between them, a slight smile on his face. Lauren glanced at him. "What are you smiling about?" she asked.

"Nothing, just trying to decide whose side I want to take in this," he answered.

"I'm your sister," Lauren answered. "We share DNA."

"I can get you out of every speeding ticket you get while you're here," Bo countered.

"I'm with Bo," Michael said.

"Yes!" Bo said, triumphantly.

"Seriously?! I'm your _sister_ ," Lauren said.

Michael shrugged. "Call it payback for the time you ratted me out for sneaking out past curfew," Michael said. "Which, if I may add, you only did so mom and dad wouldn't know _you_ had snuck out. It was actually brilliant – have them focus on me, and when I try to tell them you did it, they think I'm lying. Genius."

Bo rested her elbows on the table, leaning closer to Michael. "Please, tell me everything. Don't leave out any details," she said.

Michael grinned and started talking as Lauren groaned, slouching back into her seat.

* * *

After finishing their lunch, Bo said her goodbyes to Michael and Lauren, saying that she needed to go home and catch up on some work. It wasn't a lie; things had been piling up on her desk, and while it was nothing overly urgent, she decided to go ahead and work on it, giving Michael and Lauren a little bit of extra time together. She liked having her weekends with Lauren – hell, she liked having any time with Lauren, really, it didn't matter when it was – but still, Michael would be leaving town soon, and Bo could tell by the way she interacted with him that Lauren missed him more than she let on.

Bo had been home for a few hours when her phone buzzed on the table beside her. She looked at the screen and saw an incoming call, the name _Lauren_ appearing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey," a man's voice said. "It's Michael."

"Oh – hey," Bo said. "What's up?"

"Listen, Lauren was in the middle of something, so I just stole her phone for a minute. I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch with me on Tuesday. I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, okay," Bo said, surprised by the request.

"Yeah," he said. "Just a one on one thing, if that's okay."

"So…Lauren doesn't know about this?"

Michael laughed. "No, not technically, but it's fine if she knows. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. Nothing scary, I promise."

Bo relaxed slightly. "Oh, okay," she said. "Sure, lunch sound great."

"Great," Michael said. "And, hey, while I have you, I also wanted to let you know it's fine if you stay with Lauren tonight. Seriously. I don't want you to think it would be weird or anything, and Lauren is way more annoying when you aren't around."

Bo laughed. "Spoken like a sibling," she commented.

" _Hey, who are you talking to?_ " Bo heard Lauren say in the background.

"Oh, it's just a Canadian hooker. Don't tell Jenn," Michael said to Lauren.

" _Give me that_ ," Lauren said. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Hey, baby," Bo said. "Michael called."

Bo heard Lauren sigh. " _Seriously?_ " she said to Michael. "Sorry he bothered you. How's work going?"

"It's fine. He called because apparently you were all annoying last night."

Lauren sighed again. "He's a brat. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Bo said, laughing. "I grew up with Kenzi and Dyson. I speak brat."

"Are you coming over for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah," Bo answered. "Michael invited me to stay the night with you, actually. He said you were crabby."

"Well, yeah," Lauren answered. "I think you and I covered that."

Bo smiled to herself, noting Lauren's phrasing and the fact that she clearly didn't want Michael to know he had been right about her mood and the reason for it.

"So, it's not going to be weird if I come over?"

"Of course not." Bo could hear the smile in Lauren's voice.

Bo smiled also. "Okay. Love you, see you later.

* * *

 _Monday_

Bo woke up wrapped around Lauren. She sighed contentedly; despite the fact that she needed to get up for work, waking up like this was much better than waking up alone. She leaned in and dropped a light kiss onto Lauren's cheek before grabbing a robe and heading to the kitchen to start the coffee.

She padded quietly through the living room, trying not to wake Michael who was asleep on the couch. She had just finished pulling the mugs out of the cabinet when she heard Michael stir.

"Morning," he said, his voice still rough with sleep.

"Hey," Bo answered. "Coffee?"

"Please," he said, yawning and crossing to the kitchen.

"What do you take in it?" Bo asked.

"Sugar, no milk," he answered.

"So, the opposite of your sister," Bo said, walking to the cabinet for the sugar.

Michael laughed slightly. "Yeah, in pretty much every way, I guess," he answered.

Bo passed Michael the sugar, smiling at him.

Michael hesitated for a moment. "She really is crazy about you, you know," he said.

Bo smiled and looked down at her coffee. "Yeah. I'm crazy about her, too."

Michael nodded. "Yeah, I see that."

"Hey," a sleepy voice said. Bo and Michael looked up to see Lauren walking toward them. "What are you two up to?"

"Just telling Bo about the time you got arrested for public nudity," Michael answered.

"Wait, what?!" Bo exclaimed.

Lauren groaned, grabbing her coffee mug.

* * *

 _Tuesday_

Bo sat at the restaurant, waiting for Michael to arrive. She felt nervous, but she wasn't sure why. She hadn't told Lauren that they were meeting. She hadn't been planning on keeping it from her, not really, it just hadn't come up, and Bo hadn't found a time to mention it without it seeming weird.

She bounced her leg absentmindedly, wondering what Michael wanted to talk to her about. She had thought about it, off and on, since he asked her, and she genuinely had no idea what this conversation was about. Her relationship with Lauren, probably, but beyond that, Bo had no clue.

Michael arrived right on time, looking somewhat flustered, joining her at the table.

"Hey," he said with a smile, and Bo was struck again by the resemblance he had to Lauren when he smiled. "Sorry I didn't pick somewhere nicer, but I have to get home soon, and I figured you had work to get back to, too."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, that's fine, don't worry about it."

Michael nodded, ordering a drink from the waitress who had walked over. When she left, he turned back to Bo. "So, look, I'll get right to the point. It's pretty clear that you and my sister have a serious relationship going, and I think that's great. It's just…Lauren has stopped talking to our mom. She and Lauren…don't see eye to eye on some things."

Bo nodded. "She's mentioned that."

Michael nodded as well. "Yeah. It's just…look, Lauren and my mom were actually kind of close when she was younger, and when she came out…I don't know, this rift happened, and its always bothered me, because I know it bothers Lauren and mom, but they're both too stubborn to deal with each other, you know?"

Bo nodded again. "Okay."

"I don't think Lauren has talked to mom since you two got together, and I think that's because Lauren doesn't want to hear our mom say anything that could be taken negatively about you. She's…protective about you, about your relationship."

Bo's thoughts dragged back momentarily to her own mother and she nodded. "Yeah, I get that."

"So, I just," Michael sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I don't know. My mom calls me, a lot, when she can't talk to Lauren, and for the last six months it just seems like she's been calling more and more. I think she's finally accepting who Lauren is, and I know it's way too late, but, still, it's something. I know I shouldn't put you in the middle of this, but…well, you love my sister, and I think if they would just talk to each other, maybe they could move past some of this, you know?"

Bo sat quietly for a moment, thinking. "So, what, you want me to tell Lauren to call her mother?"

"No. Well, yes…I don't know. Maybe. Just…maybe talk to her about it. Lauren won't talk to me about mom. If she doesn't want to talk to her…well, fine, I guess. Lauren has every right to be mad. But ultimately I think it would be good for both of them to clear the air."

The waitress returned with their drinks and asked to take their orders. Michael indicated that they needed a few more minutes, and the waitress left again.

Bo sighed. "I don't know, Michael. I'm not sure I should get involved. Whatever relationship Lauren wants to have with her mom…I don't think I should insert myself in that."

Michael nodded. "Okay. That's fair."

"Lauren doesn't even know I'm meeting you today," Bo commented.

Michael shrugged. "It's fine if you tell her. This was just kind of, I don't know, an end run. I just feel like…look, it's clear that you and Lauren have something special. And I'm worried that if she doesn't tell mom about you, if she shuts her out from the relationship you two have…that's it. That'll be the end of any chance they have of repairing their relationship."

"Why?"

"Because I have a feeling you're going to be in my sister's life for a long time. You're important to her. By not telling my mom about you…that's a huge thing. That's a massive part of her life."

Bo nodded, taking this information in.

"Just…maybe think about it, okay? Just think about talking to her about it. That's all I'm saying. It's ultimately Lauren's choice, anyway."

Bo nodded. "Yeah. It's Lauren's choice."

* * *

 _Wednesday_

Lauren sat at the restaurant, waiting for Bo to arrive for their Wednesday lunch. She glanced at her watch; Bo was late. That was unusual – Bo was never late meeting Lauren.

When Lauren looked up, she saw Bo walking toward her, a strange look on her face.

"Hey," Lauren said, uncertainly. "What's up?"

Bo took a deep breath and sat down, an envelope in her left hand. "Hey," she answered.

"Everything okay?" Lauren asked.

Bo took another deep breath. "So…Michael asked me to have lunch with him before he left yesterday."

"Okay…" Lauren said, feeling puzzled.

"He told me you haven't been talking to your mom."

Lauren dropped back in her seat, crossing her arms. "Alright."

"He wanted me to, I don't know, talk to you about that, I guess."

"There's nothing to talk about," Lauren answered.

Bo nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

They were quiet for a few moments, not looking at one another.

Finally, Bo spoke. "Listen…your relationship with your mom is your business. God knows, I know all about bad relationships with parents. So I'm not going to tell you to call her, or to forgive her, or to do anything."

Lauren looked at Bo, her arms still crossed, but her eyes looking more open. "Okay…"

"It's just…remember that day when we were coming back from seeing my mom, and you were saying that she could change, and she and I could have a relationship again? Well, I started thinking about that after I talked to Michael and I realized…maybe you weren't really talking about me and my mom. Maybe you were talking about you."

Lauren didn't respond.

"You and your mom were close. I know that things changed, but the fact is…me and mom never had that. That's why we can't repair things, because there's just…nothing there. But for you, I don't know, maybe there is." Bo took a steadying breath. "So, after I talked to Michael, I thought about it, and I decided…well, maybe there was something I could do." Bo laid the envelope on the table.

"What's that?"

Bo hesitated for a moment. "I wrote your mom a letter. I didn't seal it, so you can read it if you want. Michael gave me the address. If you want to send it, all you have to do is put it in the mail. If you want to shred it, you can do that, too. You don't have to tell me what you decide. It's just…if you want to be close to your mom again, I want that for you. If you don't, then that's fine, too. It isn't up to me."

Lauren uncrossed her arms, running a hand through her hair.

"So, I'm going to go," Bo said. "I'm going to give you some time to yourself. Like I said, don't tell me what you decide. It isn't about me. I just…I just want you to know I support you, whatever you decide. It's not going to change anything with us." Bo slid the envelope across the table to Lauren and stood up. "I love you," Bo said. She took two steps around the table and give Lauren a kiss. "I'll see you at home." And with that, Bo left.

Lauren sat unmoving, looking at the envelope on the table. Well, she certainly hadn't expected this today. Taking a deep breath, she reached out for the envelope. She pulled out the paper inside and started reading.

 _Dear Ms. Lewis,_

 _My name is Bo Dennis. We've never met, and you don't know me, but I'm writing to you because I love your daughter. When I met Lauren I wasn't in a good place in my life, but just getting to know her, getting to be around her, changed things for me. I don't know if you know what an incredible person you brought into this world. I suspect you do, but to be safe, I wanted to write to you and tell you, and also to thank you._

 _Lauren is the kindest person I have ever met. I've never known anyone who loves as selflessly as she does. She takes care of everyone, not just me, but her friends also. She gives of herself freely and makes everyone she meets feel special and important and cared for._

 _She's brilliant. I'm sure you know that, but I want you to understand that kind of work she's doing here. She is so well respected at her job, with her colleagues, with everyone she meets. She's so knowledgeable about everything, but she doesn't flaunt it, doesn't make anyone else feel unintelligent or inferior. I've never met a person who could set other people at ease with the grace of your daughter._

 _I could spend the next thirty pages telling you all the wonderful things about your daughter, but I'm sure you know them. Suffice to say, Lauren is overall the best person I have ever met. Time and again, she demonstrates that she is the best of us._

 _I am in love with your daughter. I have been for a long time now. I want you to know that this isn't a passing phase, this isn't an experimentation, this isn't anything other than deep and lasting love. Lauren is everything to me._

 _I understand that you have a hard time accepting this, and that it might not make sense to you. I'm not writing to you to make you understand. I just wanted to tell you, sincerely, how I feel about your daughter, and about the person she is._

 _Thank you for bringing such an incredible person into this world. The world is better place for having her here. She brightens everything and everyone she comes in contact with. That is truly a rare gift._

 _If you can't accept my relationship with your daughter, I understand. Please just know that I'm not going anywhere, not unless she asks me to. I'm with Lauren, as long as she'll have me._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Bo Dennis_

* * *

Lauren arrived home and found Bo in the kitchen, a bag of takeout food on the counter.

"Hey, baby," she said, brightly, when Lauren walked in.

"Hey," Lauren said.

"I got Chinese, is that cool?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Lauren said. "Hey, Bo…"

"Oh, God, remind me to tell you about the new case I got today. I'm calling him Blue Balls McStabby."

"Really? Blue Balls McStabby?" Lauren said, her attention diverted from wanting to talk about the letter for a moment.

"It's crazy. So, these two guys meet on Craigslist," Bo started. As she kept talking, Lauren settled onto a barstool, listening. The more Bo spoke, the more she understood – they weren't going to talk about the letter, and whether Lauren was going to send it.

Lauren listened to the story, watching Bo's animated movements, listening to her voice as it rose and fell, and smiling at the more humorous aspects. Bo transferred the food to plates and the sat at the counter, talking and eating.

When they were done, Lauren looked at Bo again. "Hey," she said. "I love you."

Bo smiled and kissed Lauren on the cheek. "I love you, too."

* * *

 _Thursday_

This was a huge mistake. Lauren knew that. Just for the record – she knew that.

"So?" the pretty woman standing in front of Lauren asked.

Lauren sighed, looking down. She should leave. That would be the smart thing to do. And yet…she couldn't just leave. She needed to do this. Bo didn't have to know. Sure, eventually she would, but for now…Lauren could just do this, and keep it to herself. Bo didn't need to know, at least not yet.

Lauren looked down one last time.

"So? Is this the one?" the woman with dark hair and eyes asked again.

Lauren looked at the ring in the velvet box on the counter. "Yeah. This is the one."

* * *

I'd love to hear from you guys


	39. Chapter 39

Hey, guys.

So - I know it's been a while since the last post. Funny story about that - I wrote a first draft of this chapter, want to see it? Here it is:

And then everyone died. The end.

So, yeah, I wasn't getting too far, and I tentatively decided to just abandon this fic and move on. It was at that point that my lovely friend, lynedele77 stepped in and screamed at me until a next chapter happened. She was also my beta for this one (which means this chapter is edited - for the first time ever!) So, big shout out to lynedele77 - check out her fic, Fae to Fae, which is a lot better than this one, and is conveniently available on . Remember to review. Also, I think she accepts cash and money orders.

Okay, people, let's get into it. Enjoy!

* * *

"Alright," Lauren began, sitting back in her seat and holding her coffee in her left hand. "So, you gave this guy your number?"

"Yes." Vex sounded miserable as he spoke, his arms on his knees, his coffee ignored on the table.

"And, what? He didn't call, or-?"

Vex glanced up. "Of course he called, love, I'm irresistible," he answered.

"Alright. So, you're upset because…?"

Vex sighed dramatically, glancing around as if he were worried that the other patrons of the Starbucks would overhear him. "I _wanted_ him to call me, Lo!" he exclaimed, trying to keep his voice hushed.

Lauren nodded, waiting for Vex to continue, but when he just continued to stare at her, she spoke. "I'm sorry, I just don't get it. You wanted him to call and he did. Why did you have to pull me out of work to tell me that?"

Vex huffed and glanced around again, leaning forward further to speak to Lauren in a low voice. "We slept together, then I _gave him my number_ , and then I _wanted him to call me?_ Do you know what this means?"

"That you have a date?" Lauren questioned with a shrug, taking a sip of her latte.

"I'm catching feelings!" Vex exclaimed in a stage whisper.

Lauren hesitated, a smile threatening the corners of her mouth. "It's not a disease, Vex."

"It is a disease! A fucking sexually transmitted disease!"

"You are such a romantic…"

"This cannot go on. I'm _Vex!_ I don't get feelings. I have to end this."

Lauren shook her head, sighing. "Vex, I have _patients._ Do you really need me for this meltdown? Because if not, I need to get back to work."

"Oh, come off it, love, you wouldn't have agreed to meet with me at all if things at work were that bad. Now pay attention…focus on Vexie."

Knowing he was correct, Lauren sighed in defeat, her affection for Vex winning out over her irritation. "Alright, look, so you have feelings for this guy. It's fine. Just see where it goes. You've seen him, what, once? It might be nothing. Just go out with him. See what happens."

"No, no I just need to throw his number away. That's it. I'll just throw his number away. And maybe go to that lovely strip club again. That always takes my mind off things."

"What's his name?" Lauren asked.

"Dave," Vex answered.

Lauren paused, a smile spreading across her face. "Come on, _seriously?_ That's just too perfect," she said with a laugh.

"Shut up," Vex replied, sagging back in his chair.

"Dave is _real!_ "

"I hate you."

"Vex is in love with Dave!" Lauren teased.

"I don't know why I called you, honestly, you've been absolutely no help."

"So, are we thinking a June wedding?" Lauren prodded, bringing her coffee back to her lips.

Vex rolled his eyes. "Why anyone would get married is beyond me," he commented.

"You should put that in your toast to Nate and Kenzi," Lauren answered.

"It's two people putting on fancy clothes to telling people they are going to have sex with only each other until they die. It's a bizarre ritual."

"Oh, come on, it's more than that," Lauren argued. "It's about standing up in front of people who love you and telling them you found the person who makes you whole, the person who makes you the best version of yourself."

Vex regarded Lauren for a moment. "When did you get all mushy and romantic?"

Lauren glanced at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I seem to recall that when Nadia brought up the idea of marriage you told her it was just a business arrangement and that you didn't think it was necessary. Seems your views have changed," Vex answered, his eyes remaining focused on Lauren.

Lauren shrugged, looking at her coffee.

A grin split Vex's face. "Oh my, my. Is our little Lauren considering tying the knot?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm just saying, marriage isn't a terrible thing. That's all."

"Can I be your maid of honor?" Vex teased, smiling widely at Lauren's discomfort.

"Hey, I just heard your phone ring. Is it Dave?"

Vex jumped, grabbing for his phone, and found the screen to be blank. He pouted, before looking up to see Lauren smirking at him.

"Truce?" he offered with a light sigh.

"Truce."

* * *

When they had finished their coffee, Vex walked Lauren back to her office. It was an unseasonably hot September day, and by the time they got back, they both felt sticky and overheated.

"Do you keep any water in your office?" Vex asked, crossing over to her desk before she answered.

"There should be a bottle in the drawer," she said, hanging her bag on the hook by the door.

Vex pulled open a drawer and froze. When he didn't say anything for a moment, Lauren turned to look at him.

"What, couldn't find it?" she asked, noting her friend's puzzled expression.

Vex looked up at her, his face contorted. "What is that?" He asked pointing to something in the open drawer.

Lauren walked around the desk to see what he was referring to. When she saw the top drawer was open instead of the bottom one, she stopped. "That's the wrong drawer," she answered.

Vex reached in and pulled out the black velvet box, and the letter that was tucked beside it. Wordlessly, he opened the box and looked inside. "So, when you said marriage wasn't terrible…you really, really meant that…"

"It's…nothing," Lauren interjected. "It was just an impulse thing the other day. It's not like I'm about to ask her to marry me, I just…I don't know, I wanted to have it…in case."

Vex looked up. "People don't buy engagement rings 'just in case,' Lo."

Lauren took the box from his hands carefully, snapping the lid closed. "Don't make a big deal out of this."

Vex started to open the letter, which was still in his hands.

"Don't read that."

"You wrote her a letter?" he asked, allowing Lauren to take the paper from his hands before he unfolded it. She carefully tucked it back into the drawer.

"No. That's just…something Bo wrote to send to my mom."

Vex nodded, walking back around the desk to drop into one of the chairs in Lauren's office. "Sit. Explain."

Lauren sighed, sitting in her desk chair. "She wrote my mom a letter because Michael told her we haven't been talking. She gave it to me so I could decide whether or not I sent it."

"You're not going to?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Lauren shrugged. "The things she said…if my mother hears about our relationship, she needs to hear it from me. If I'm going to repair things with mom, _I_ need to do that, you know? And if she can't accept me, or she can't accept Bo, then I'll just have to be okay with that, I guess."

"And after you read that letter, you bought her a ring?"

Lauren nodded.

"It must have been one hell of a letter."

Lauren nodded again, sighing. "Yeah. It was."

Vex shook his head. "I always knew you were loveable, but what you've pulled off…I've never seen Bo act like this. I don't know how you did it, but cheers."

Lauren bit her lower lip, thinking for a moment. "This is crazy, right? I'm being crazy."

Vex sat quietly, keeping his eyes locked on Lauren's as he waited for her to continue.

"I mean, Rainer proposed and look how that went for him," Lauren continued. "And we haven't been dating that long."

Vex nodded. "True. When Kevin proposed, things went to shit. I mean, they were shit before, but they got…shittier. Then again, she's a different person with you than she was with him."

"So what do I do?"

"Well, given the fact that I'm nearly vomiting over the fact that I want someone to call me back, it's good you came to me with this problem," Vex said, sarcastically. Lauren rolled her eyes at him, and he smiled back. "I don't know, love," he said. "Maybe you just wait. Bring up the idea casually and see how she responds."

"Is there a casual way to say 'hey, want to stay together until one of us dies'?"

"Maybe if you're wearing sweat pants when you say it?"

"Helpful. Thanks."

* * *

"Well, that sucked," Bo said as she and Lauren walked back to her car. It was a warm Friday, the heat wave that had plagued Lauren and Vex the day before was still clinging to the air.

Lauren laughed. "What, you _didn't_ want to live with a pervy landlord and mice?"

"I can't believe we both took off work an entire day and we still can't find anything. How are there no good places? This doesn't even make sense," Bo complained as she started the car.

"I'm sure there are, maybe we just aren't looking in the right place."

"We've looked everywhere. These are all the places between my work and yours."

"Well maybe we just need to find something closer to your work then?" Lauren suggested.

Bo sighed. "But that really isn't fair to you. There has to be _something_."

Lauren shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions, but I'm running out of ideas."

"I guess we could just live at your apartment," Bo said, off handedly.

"That's so far from your work though. And, besides, you said yourself we need a second bedroom, more closet space – plus, that place isn't, I don't know, _ours_ really, you know?"

Bo glanced at Lauren. "It is where we met, you know."

Lauren smiled. "Yeah, I remember." She was quiet for a beat. "As I recall, you came over without being invited."

Bo laughed. " _Vex_ invited me, it's not my fault he didn't clear it with you first."

"Yeah, yeah, you're just lucky I have such great social graces or I would have thrown you out," Lauren said, still smiling.

Another burst of laughter shot from Bo. "Yeah, I forgot about your social graces. Hey, quick question, did you or did you not call my boyfriend a dick the first time you met him?"

"Hey, just because I have social graces, that doesn't mean I can't be honest," Lauren answered.

Bo smiled. "Yeah, yeah."

Lauren was quiet for another moment, thinking as the air from the open car window pushed past her face. "It was just so clear that you were too good for him."

"You didn't even know him," Bo laughed.

Lauren smiled. "Doesn't matter. I still knew."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Alright, well, since you're so smart, why don't you tell me where we're going to live?"

With a sigh, Lauren turned back to the papers in her hands. "The third place really wasn't _that_ bad," she tried to reason.

"It had lead paint. And no shower."

"Rustic charm?" Bo just laughed as she continued to drive. "Alright, so not the third place. You never told me why you didn't like the second place."

"I saw someone I knew who lived there," Bo answered.

"Who?"

"Karl."

"Ex-boyfriend?" Lauren asked.

"Ex-defendant. As I recall, he was busted for cooking meth. In his apartment."

"Crossing number two off the list."

They were quiet for a few moments, both trying to think of more apartments to look at, when Bo's eye was caught by a sign.

"Hey – what about that?" Bo pointed out , slowing the car down and preparing to make a turn.

"What about what?" Lauren asked, looking around. "I don't see any apartments."

"I wasn't looking at an apartment. I was looking at that house," Bo replied, directing Lauren's attention to a sign.

"But…that's a house," Lauren said, slowly.

"Yes," Bo answered with a smile. "That's why I called it a house."

"We were looking for an apartment."

"We were looking for a place to live. We can't seem to find an apartment, so why not look at a house?"

"Is it for rent?"

"The sign says for sale," Bo answered.

Lauren sat quietly for a moment. "Um, that's…you want us to buy a house? Like, a whole house?"

"I don't think they let you just buy rooms," Bo chuckled, still maneuvering the car.

Lauren didn't answer, still processing the idea.

When Bo stopped the car, she twisted the key to kill the ignition before looking at Lauren. "Look, I know a house would be…it's a big deal. I get that it's a bigger deal. But, I don't know, if nothing else maybe we should look at it and it'll give us ideas for apartments we might like. What's the harm in just looking, right?"

Bo's face was bright and open with naked excitement at the prospect of looking at the house, and Lauren felt herself getting sucked in by Bo's knew Bo was worried that she thought this was too big of a step, but in reality all Lauren could think about was the ring in the black velvet box in her office. "Okay. Let's look," she agreed.

* * *

Bo and Lauren got out of the car, walking toward the house with the "open house" sign displayed in front of it.

After completing a tour of the house, Bo and Lauren got back in the car, both silent. Bo sat in the driver's seat, making no move to turn the car on. "So," Lauren commented, her eyes staying forward.

"There was definitely a murder in there, right? I mean, that wasn't just me?"

" _Oh my God_ , I was worried it was just me," Lauren confessed, taking a deep breath.

"That dude definitely keeps severed heads in his freezer," Bo speculated, turning to Lauren.

"Shit, is he looking at us? Is that him?" Lauren asked, looking toward the door of the house.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Bo insisted, twisting the key and gunning the engine.

Once they had made it back to the road, Lauren turned to Bo. "So, a house…"

Bo glanced over. "Well, I mean, I'm not setting up appointments at the bank to find out about interest rates, but…I don't know. I mean, I know a house is…a thirty-year mortgage, and legal documents, and something that gets listed in estate planning. I'm not saying that's the way to go. But I am saying that I want to live with you, and to accomplish that we need to find _something_."

Lauren smiled and nodded. "So you would consider taking on a whole house? Just so we can live together?"

Bo smiled and reached over, taking Lauren's hand as she shifted her eyes back to the road.

* * *

The following Wednesday Lauren was sitting in her office when her phone buzzed.

Bo: _Can I pick you up for lunch today? I have an errand to run while we're out._

Lauren: _Sure, anything that will give us extra time. I actually have something I want to talk to you about._

At 12:30p she walked downstairs to meet Bo, who was waiting outside the hospital.

"Hey," she smiled brightly, as Lauren approached.

"Hi," Lauren smiled back. "You seem happy."

Bo leaned in and gave Lauren a kiss. "It's _Wednesday._ Obviously I'm happy," she said.

Lauren walked to the passenger seat, her heart pounding. Alright, Bo was in a good mood – a really good mood – that was in her favor, right?

As she sat down she swore she could hear the sound of the ring box shifting in her bag. Shit, was she really doing this?

Ever since Bo had brought up the idea of the house she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind. Bo was thinking about a _house_. A mortgage, a yard, a legal commitment. If that's where Bo's head was…was a proposal really that crazy? Maybe Bo was ready for this. Maybe it was time.

After looking at the murder house, she had started planning. She wanted it to be special, of course, but really she wanted it to be something that was about them. Wednesday had seemed like the most logical day for it – it was their day, after all. So she would wait until she and Bo got to lunch, and she would bring up the idea of marriage. If that conversation went well…she would propose.

And now, it was Wednesday. And her nerves were so on edge that she wanted to throw up. She took a steadying breath, trying to calm herself down as Bo began to drive.

Ten minutes later Bo was pulling the car up in front of a rundown looking house. Lauren glanced around cautiously. "So, when you said we had to run an errand…it was to investigate a triple homicide, or -?"

Bo glanced over at her. "Come on, walk inside with me."

Uncertainly, Lauren exited the car, following Bo.

Once inside, Lauren looked around. The house was run down and old, in desperate need of repairs, but it was open and spacious. As Lauren glanced around, she noticed Bo intently watching her.

"What do you think?" Bo asked.

Lauren hesitated. "What am I looking at?" she questioned.

Bo grabbed Lauren's hand and moved them further into the house. As they rounded a corner, Lauren was greeted by the sight of a blanket spread out on the floor, a picnic sitting on top of it. "I got us lunch," Bo said.

Lauren looked at the picnic and then looked back up at Bo. "What's going on?"

Bo cleared her throat, looking uncertain. "I…bought it."

"Bought what?"

"This," Bo said. "The house."

Lauren stopped and looked around again before she turned her attention back to Bo. "You bought a house?"

"Look, it's…not great right now, I see that. But, I mean, it has great bones, you know? It's such a cool place. All we have to do is fix it up and it'll be perfect. It has two rooms that would make great offices, so we could each have one, and one of them gets light in the morning and one gets light in the evening, which is great because I like to work in the morning and you like to work at night. The kitchen is huge, I mean – well, come look at the kitchen," she said, walking forward, pulling Lauren behind her.

"So, obviously, we need appliances, but there is so much space in here. And we can knock that wall down," Bo said, pointing to the far wall, "and that would really open the whole thing up. There are four bedrooms, so it's more than enough space."

Lauren nodded along, listening to Bo speaking rapidly. Her head was spinning. Bo had bought a house?

After they had finished going through the entire house, Bo and Lauren returned to the picnic. Bo looked at Lauren, worry starting to crease her face. "Please say something," she begged.

"You bought a house…" Lauren's voice was slow as she struggled to process what was happening.

"Yeah," Bo answered. "I bought us a house."

Lauren glanced at Bo, at the raw joy she could see behind her eyes mixed with the anxiety she clearly had over how Lauren was going to react. "How did you get a house this fast?"

"It was an estate sale, so it was quick," Bo answered. "When I saw it, I just…I don't know, it felt _right._ I just did it. I mean, I know a house is sort of a weird impulse buy…"

Lauren nodded. "You're insane. Did you even get this place inspected?"

"It's fine," Bo assured, waving her off. "I mean, it _looks_ solid, and we have to do work on it anyway, so we'll just fix it as we go."

Lauren nodded again, still looking around, as her brain struggled to process.

Bo cleared her throat. "Look, if you hate it…I mean, I know you didn't get to see it beforehand or anything, so I can always try to resell it."

"You bought a house," Lauren repeated herself.

Bo nodded. "Yes. I bought us a house."

 _You bought a house without me._ Lauren looked around again. The shock of the initial news was starting wear off as the reality of what Bo had done seeped in. She had bought a house – completely impulsively, without thinking, in true Bo fashion. She had seen a house she thought was perfect, and she had just…bought it.

"You're completely mental," Lauren quipped. Bo didn't say anything, continuing to look at Lauren. A few beats later, Lauren spoke again. "I love you."

A bright smile broke over Bo's face. "I love you, too."

Lauren took a step toward Bo and pulled her in, kissing her.

"We may need to live at your place a while longer," Bo advised, "because we're going to need some time to fix everything up."

Lauren nodded her head in agreement as Bo stepped behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist so they were facing the same way. "I thought maybe we could put the table over there," she said, pointing to various places, talking about all the different things they could do.

As Lauren surveyed the house, her thoughts drifted back to the ring. Bo had bought a house. _Bo_ had bought a house. That changed things.

When she stopped talking, she stepped back and turned Lauren back to face her. "Sorry. I was nervous to show it to you, and I kind of got distracted. What did you want to talk about?"

Lauren smiled at Bo, reaching up to push an errant strand of hair away from her face. "Nothing, it was just about some new leads on apartments."

Bo smiled as she lifted Lauren's chin up to kiss her again.

They spend the rest of their lunch walking around, talking and eating, making plans to come back after work. When Lauren returned to her office, she pulled the ring box back out of her bag. With a sigh, she dropped it back in the desk drawer. Okay, so Bo wasn't ready for this kind of commitment – that was okay. She could be okay with that, right? This was enough.

* * *

As always, looking forward to hearing from you


	40. Chapter 40

Hey, guys.

So, apparently I inadvertently created a Lost Girl personality quiz last chapter, and the results have come back - half of your are Bo, and half of you are Lauren. What's really funny to me is that last chapter I was so, so blocked, and just trying to work something out, and I was talking to my beta (lynedele77, check out her fic Fae to Fae, available where fine fanfics are read - seriously, guys, it's so good. Why are you still reading this? Go read her fic. I'll wait. Done? Okay, cool), who was more a Lauren. I understood Lauren, but tended more toward being a Bo. So, that's fun for everyone.

Alright, this chapter - we're going to break some shit, guys. Literally. I mean, like, sledgehammer some shit. You know what? Just read it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"You know, they really make this look a lot easier on the home improvement shows." It was a lazy Saturday morning in early October, and the Fall air was crisp and sharp as Bo stood in the kitchen of her new house, a sledgehammer in her hands, covered in drywall dust. The breeze from the open windows swirled the white grit in the air, pulling it up and settle in her hair and on her face.

"Why didn't we just hire someone to do this for us?" Lauren quizzed, leaning against the partially destroyed counter, trying to catch her breath.

"I don't remember. I think we thought it would be fun to do it together?"

"Well, that was stupid."

"Yeah." Bo maneuvered the sledgehammer to rest in on the floor, the handle sticking up and resting against the lower cabinets. "I don't know, I guess I just imagined that it would be easy, and that we would have fun, and I'd get to see you all dirty and sweaty, and that seemed kind of hot," Bo commented as she glanced around the room.

"Really? You didn't want to hire someone to do this because you thought it would be _sexy_ somehow?"

Bo turned back to Lauren. "Yeah. Why didn't you want to hire anyone?"

"I just assumed you were trying to save money," Lauren replied incredulously. "I mean, what other sane reason is there for a doctor and lawyer to suddenly attempt a home renovation without help?"

"Oh. No, I hadn't really thought about that."

Lauren shook her head, straightening back up to her full height. "You're lucky I love you, because you're definitely insane."

"In my defense, we're just trying to tear things up. Why would I think I need help doing that? I _know_ how to break things."

Lauren walked over to the far wall, looking toward the top of it, where it met the ceiling. "Do you even know if this wall is load bearing?"

Bo shrugged. "No, I don't. But there's only one way to find out."

"Yeah, there's definitely more than one way," Lauren insisted with a light laugh.

"I think Nate has done some side jobs in construction," Bo supplied. "Maybe he can help us."

"He definitely can't hurt us. We've barely accomplished anything."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I started breaking up some of this old floor without any help from anyone," Bo noted.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "You dropped the sledgehammer. I don't think that qualifies."

"You say tomato…"

"And I say you accidentally broke the floor."

"So particular about everything, Dr. Lewis," Bo answered, smiling at Lauren as she walked over to give her a quick kiss.

* * *

Two hours later, Nate was walking through the house with Bo and Lauren. While Bo spoke, explaining her ideas for renovations, he just nodded along, his eyes taking in everything.

"And this place passed inspection?" he asked, leaning toward an electric outlet that looked disturbingly scorched.

"Well, not _technically_ …"

Nate looked at Bo, still kneeling by the outlet. "What do you mean 'technically'? Did it pass, or did it fail?"

Bo glanced over at Lauren. "Bo, didn't get an inspection," Lauren supplied with a sigh.

Nate looked at Bo, his mouth dropping open. "Wait, you bought this house, and you didn't bother to get it check out first? How do you know any of it is up to Code? How do you know you two haven't been breathing in asbestos all morning?"

Bo shrugged. "I feel fine. I'm sure it's all fine."

"Just saying 'it's fine' doesn't make it fine," Nate quipped. He stood back up and walked to the sledgehammer, heaving it up. He then crossed the room again, returning to the area of the scorched outlet. "Let's open this wall up and see what's happening with your electric."

Nate widened his stance and propelled the hammer forward, knocking a large hole in the wall. Once the sledgehammer was in, he let the head fall forward and pulled back on the handle, using the weight of the tool to tear a larger hole in the drywall. He then put the hammer down and stepped forward, looking inside the wall.

"It looks like your electric might be knob and tube," he murmured, looking intently into the hole.

"What does that mean?" Lauren asked.

"It means you get to replace all of your electric to make it safe and up to current standards," Nate answered. "So that's a few thousand dollars."

Bo groaned. "Oh, come on, how dangerous can it be? The house hasn't burned down. Can't we just leave it?"

"You could, I guess," Nate said. "Quick question, how badly do you want this place to be insured?"

Bo looked at him blankly. "What? Obviously I'm getting insurance. I don't think that's even optional, is it?"

"Oh, then never mind, forget what I said. You definitely can't leave it like this."

Lauren took a deep breath. "Alright, this is fine. So you need some electrical work. That isn't a big deal."

Nate nodded. "Hey, off topic, have you noticed that your floor is slanted?"

Bo and Lauren both sighed loudly.

* * *

Nate continued to walk Bo and Lauren through the house. By the time they had finished, Nate had a large list of potential issues he had seen in the house, and Lauren felt her head starting to swim at the sheer volume of work that was awaiting them in getting the house up to a habitable condition.

When he finally left, Bo and Lauren sat down on the kitchen floor, both quiet and feeling slightly dejected. "So, that wasn't great," Lauren commented, trying to keep her tone light.

"Yeah," Bo answered, looking around. "Should we even be sitting in here? This place is starting to feel like a death trap."

Lauren smiled at her. "I'm sure we're safe enough just sitting here. Just, you know, don't make any sudden movements."

Bo gave Lauren a sideways glance at her subtle jab. "Ha, ha," she fake laughed. Lauren smiled wider. "I don't know, I guess I just assumed…it seemed so _perfect_ , you know?" Lauren looked at Bo fondly, feeling her heart warm. Bo continued to look around, her eyes not on Lauren. "I saw us drinking coffee in here in the morning, because once we took the wall down we would be able to see the TV in the living room to watch the news. We could put a grill outside and have everyone over on the weekends, or we could maybe build a deck outside so on nice nights we could eat dinner out there…when Kenzi and Nate have kids we could put a tire swing outside, and there's space for them to run…maybe we could even get a dog? A big shaggy dog that would just lay around and that we would pretend to be annoyed by but that we would love like crazy, and he'd like you better than me, but still…" Bo's voice trailed off as she continued to scan the room, watching her future with Lauren play out before her like a movie that only she could see.

Lauren was quiet for a few moments, letting Bo stay lost in her thoughts. A few beats later, she quietly broke the silence, "you thought about all that?"

Bo looked at Lauren, her eyes still looking slightly dreamy from her previous thoughts. "Yeah. I mean, it's our home."

"It's your house," Lauren said, softly.

Bo looked at her, concern and confusion crossing her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…I don't know, is it ours?"

"Lauren…"

Lauren put her hand up, stopping Bo from continuing. "I'm not trying to…I know you did this because you…well, because your Bo, and these are the things you do. You jump. You take risks. And I love you for that, but…I mean, I don't own this house. I didn't jump with you. I guess I just…it's _your_ house."

Bo looked at her, not speaking. With the weight of Lauren's words heavy in the air, Lauren could see Bo struggling, although she couldn't decipher why exactly.

"Lauren…this…I didn't do this to…" she sighed, the words not coming to her. "This is our _home_. Or, it's supposed to be…"

Lauren didn't say anything, giving Bo time to find the words.

"I know I should have talked to you about this before I just did it. I know. I get that, because we're together, and this…it isn't just my decision. So, I should have talked to you. I know that. But…I don't know, I guess I just fell in love with this idea, this…I just pictured the look on your face, and I imagine it all being so perfect, you know? I just…I wanted to give you that. That perfect moment, that… I don't know, I guess I just got caught by this idea of you walking in and seeing our home. Not a house, not a building, but our _home_ ," Bo paused, her eyes solely focused on Lauren gauging her reaction. When Lauren remained silent, she continued.

"Yeah, only my name is on the deed, and yeah, if we stop making payments it'll mess up my credit and not yours, but...does that matter? I own the house, but it's _our_ home."

Lauren nodded, staying quiet for a few moments while she processed Bo's words.

"I don't want to push you too far or too fast." Lauren's voice was low when she spoke, just edging above a whisper. "I know that…look, I was with someone for five years, and it was serious, and for a long time I thought it was going to last forever. I know you haven't done that. I don't want to make this, us, something that is too much for you. I know we've talked about the future, and I know we both said we envision the future being us together, but…I'm just worried that one day you're going to wake up and realize that I made you do things you weren't ready for, or didn't want to do."

"Why would you even think that?"

"Because…because you shouldn't even exist. Sometimes I can't believe that you do. You're just this…this presence, this gift that makes the world seem brighter, and better, and safe, and magical. I can't believe I met you. I just keep waiting for something to happen to mess it up, and I want to make sure that that thing that messes it up isn't…me."

Bo was stunned and silent, letting Lauren's words process. "Did I ever tell you about my sixth birthday?" Bo asked.

Lauren looked up, the change in conversation topics jarring her. "Um…"

Bo scooted over to sit beside Lauren, wrapping her arm around Lauren's shoulders. "So, when I was six, I really wanted to get a bike. It was all I talked about. I kept thinking that if I had a bike I could go anywhere, I could do anything…a bike was freedom. My parents were…well, they were my parents, so a bike seemed like heaven.

"For weeks all I talked about was this bike. Kenzi and I would talk about it, I'd describe it to her – I had never seen it, of course – it was just in my head. This perfect bike – I wanted it to be lime green, with purple around the tire rims, and one of those annoying air horns on the front.

"So, the night before my birthday, I could hardly sleep. I was so excited – it never occurred to me that my parents wouldn't get the bike, or that the bike would look different, I just knew, you know, _knew_ that my bike was going to be perfect.

"My birthday comes, and…no bike. Just, nothing. I was crushed. I remember going to my mom, asking where my bike was, and she just said 'you don't know how to ride a bike.' That was it. And you know the crazy thing – she was right. I didn't know how to ride a bike. It had never occurred to me that even if I'd gotten it, I wouldn't have been able to use it.

"Anyway, a few days later my mom told me she was going to help me learn how to ride a bike, and if I learned, she would get me one for Christmas. She found an old bike somewhere – I'm not sure where, maybe a neighbor – and for an entire afternoon she kept pushing me on this bike, trying to teach me to ride. I kept falling, of course, because the bike didn't have training wheels, and by the end of the day I was so cut up that I could barely walk, but I did it a couple times, I kept the bike upright and actually made it a little ways."

"Did you ever get a bike?" Lauren asked.

"I think I did, eventually."

Lauren was quiet, leaning against Bo.

"Anyway, the point is…sometimes I just see the future, the possibilities. I see that a bike can give you freedom, so I just want a bike. I see that we can have a great life in this house, so I want the house. I'm not great at the details. I don't always notice that you have to learn how to ride before you just get on the bike and go."

A few minutes passed while Bo and Lauren continued to sit together in silence. "Do you really want us to get a dog?" Lauren asked, breaking the quiet.

Bo smiled. "He'll like you better than me."

Lauren laughed and nestled further into Bo's chest. "I actually do like the house."

Bo kissed the top of Lauren's head, smiling as she did so. "It's going to cost us a fortune, you know that right?"

Lauren nodded. "Yeah, I do, but it's worth it. I mean, it's our home."

Bo hugged Lauren tighter. "Yeah. It's our home."

* * *

Let me know what you think


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41, people. That feels excessive.

Alright, so everyone huddle up, because we need to talk for a minute about something really important - lynedele77. So, as you may or may not know (but definitely should know, because I expect you to pay attention and to hang on to my every word as if it were direct from the mouth of the Almighty), this lovely author is my beta. And, people, she kicks some ass. Like, seriously. It's crazy.

I don't know if this has come up before, but she is the author of Fae to Fae, conveniently located just a few clicks from this very page. I know a few of you have mentioned that you're reading it, but seriously, people - get on it. I'm not even kidding with this. I mean, read this first, because once you get started on hers you might not come back, but really, read it. Review it. It's nuts.

Also, call her a fucker. She loves that.

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm definitely dying," Bo whined, laying her head down on the bar counter.

Lauren smiled and ran her hand gently down the back of Bo's hair. "Oh, baby…. you know this is entirely your fault, right?"

Bo sat up, wincing at the movement, and gave Lauren a withering look. "Really? That's how you're going to comfort me? _Really?_ "

"Honey, you spent an entire morning attacking a house with a sledgehammer. You can't be that surprised that you're sore."

"Then why are you acting all normal and fine?"

Lauren shrugged, moving her hand to lift her drink. "Because I let you be in control of the sledgehammer most of the time." She took a sip.

Bo continued to stare, her mouth dropping open. "You set me up."

"That sledgehammer was, conservatively, ten to fifteen pounds. How are you surprised that your arms and back are sore?"

"My legs hurt, too," Bo whined, laying her head back down.

"Jesus, what kind of sex have you two been having?" Tamsin asked, walking from the back office to the drink well behind the bar, catching the tail end of Bo and Lauren's conversation.

"Bo decided to try to renovate a house," Lauren answered.

"Role play. Nice."

Bo lifted her head. "If it wouldn't send me into another back spasm, I would give you the finger right now."

"Sound like you already gave it to your girlfriend," Tamsin said with a smirk.

Lauren rolled her eyes, ignoring Tamsin and looking back at Bo. "So, can we finally call a contractor now?"

"I can't lift a phone. It might kill me."

Lauren laughed lightly and leaned down to kiss the back of Bo's head.

"What up, barflies," Kenzi called, entering the bar from the staircase that lead to her apartment upstairs. Nate walked in behind her. "BoBo, why are laying on my nice, clean bar?"

"Because I'm dying," Bo grumbled, keeping her face against the bar top.

"Well, do it somewhere else, we're opening soon and a dead chick seems bad for business," Kenzi quipped.

Bo groaned, turning to lay the side of her head on the bar so she could look at Lauren. "So much love in this room."

"More importantly, what is everyone doing November 18?" Kenzi inquired.

"I'll be dead by then," Bo supplied.

"Alright, so Bo's out," Kenzi replied, not missing a beat. "So I guess that means…Lauren, do you want to stand in as my maid of honor?"

Bo shot upright to reply, but as soon as her back straightened her face turned pale and she froze. "Holy shit, I just ruptured every disc in my back…"

"What's this about the 18th?" Dyson asked, walking up from the basement carrying a box of stirring straws. Ciara came up behind him, holding napkins.

"We're getting married," Kenzi answered.

"In Jamaica," Nate added. "So, you know…call your travel agents."

"You're getting married in Jamaica?" Ciara asked.

Kenzi nodded. "Apparently these resorts set up everything for you, all you have to do is give them your information and show up. Who's in?"

"We're there," Lauren confirmed, taking another sip of her drink.

"You might be going alone. As I mentioned, I'm _dying._ "

Lauren patted Bo's head.

"Is there open bar?" Tamsin asked, as Vex walked in through the front door of the bar.

"Yes, open bar," Nate answered.

"I'm there," Tamsin replied.

"I am as well," Vex said, walking up to the bar. "Where are we going?"

"Nate and Kenzi are getting married in Jamaica on November 18," Dyson supplied, catching Vex up. "Ciara and I will be there, of course," he finished, turning back to Nate and Kenzi.

"Absolutely," Ciara added with a warm smile. "It sounds lovely."

"How could I say no to an open bar," Vex noted as he walked behind the bar and grabbed himself a glass and poured a drink.

"Don't you need a plus one, Vex?" Lauren teased.

Vex stopped mid pour and glared at Lauren. "Lo…"

"A plus one?" Bo asked, jerking her head up. She winced. "Ow. Worth it. What's this about a plus one?"

"Oh, nothing, Vex just has a –"

Before Lauren could finish, Vex cut her off. "Made any major purchases lately, Lauren?"

"He has nothing. Never mind," Lauren finished.

Vex smiled triumphantly, taking a sip of his drink, while Lauren shot him an 'I'll-kill-you-later' stare.

Tamsin looked between the two of them. "What's happening right now?"

"We were talking about how Nate and Kenzi were buying us unlimited booze," Vex answered, taking another sip of his drink.

"The wedding is completely casual," Nate jumped in. "Just come as you are. Kenzi and I are going on the 15th so we have few days to settle in. Everyone is welcome to come then or later, whatever you want. We blocked out enough rooms for everyone, and we have the number so you can call and set it up however you want."

"I could use a good vacation," Vex commented.

"A vacation from what?" Tamsin asked with an eye roll.

"I'll have you know it's _exhausting_ being the life of the party every night. Vexie needs some time to recharge his batteries."

"Why do I feel like you're speaking literally?" Dyson asked with a small smirk.

"So much sexual innuendo in here tonight," Lauren observed, shaking her head.

"Well, keep it up, I hear it's good for business," Kenzi replied, stepping behind the bar. "Come on, let's open, mama's get a wedding to pay for."

* * *

A few hours and four drinks later, Lauren managed to peel Bo off the bar and maneuver her to a cab so they could go back to Lauren's apartment. Once there, Lauren helped pull Bo up out of the car, paid the driver, and they headed inside.

"I don't understand how you're mobile," Bo groaned, falling back onto the couch once they were inside.

Lauren smiled and walked to the kitchen, putting the tea kettle on the stove to start some tea for Bo. "You should probably take something to reduce the inflammation, but since you've been drinking, it'll have to wait."

Bo sighed. After a beat, she turned her head slightly to look at Lauren. "Hey, what was Vex talking about earlier? The thing about the major purpose – was that about the house?"

Lauren shrugged, keeping her attention focused on the tea so her face wouldn't give her away to Bo. "Who knows with Vex."

Bo looked at her quizzically for a moment, but when Lauren didn't continue speaking, she let the topic drop. "Why did he get weird when you asked him about the plus one?"

At that question, Lauren turned, smiling with laughter. "Oh, shit, I forgot to tell you! Vex has a crush."

" _Really?_ "

Lauren nodded. "That's not the best part."

"Okay…"

"He has a crush on Dave."

"Imaginary Dave?"

"No – although that would be hilarious, in its own way – no, this Dave is real."

"Shut up, Dave is real?" Bo asked with a laugh.

"I know, right?!" Lauren exclaimed, pouring the hot water over the tea bag in Bo's green mug.

"We have to torture him about this," Bo chewed her lower lip, thinking.

Lauren was about to agree when her thoughts flashed back to the ring in her desk, and the fact that Vex knew about it. "Yeah…um, but, you know, maybe we should just lay off a little bit. I mean, see how it does first, or something."

"Why would we do that?"

Lauren shrugged, carrying the tea to Bo. "I don't know, I mean…let's just see how it goes, okay?"

Bo hesitated a moment, but started smiling when she accepted the mug from Lauren. " _Oh my God_ , he has dirt on you, doesn't he?"

Lauren felt a slight blush rising to her cheeks. "No…"

"Yeah, that was convincing."

"He's known me since I was a kid, Bo, of course he knows things about me, but this is the first time in a really long time that I remember Vex having feelings for anyone. It might be good for him."

Bo studied her for another moment. "I know there's more to it than that…"

Lauren didn't look at her, arranging the coasters on the coffee table so Bo could reach one.

"Alright, I'll let it go, but this conversation isn't over." Bo's tone was playful.

Lauren sat back up and started running a hand through Bo's hair. "We still need to find a contractor for the house."

"For _our home_ ," Bo corrected.

Lauren smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, _our home._ So, who should we call?"

"Ghostbusters?"

"I don't think that's the line."

Bo laughed, dropping her hand to Lauren's leg. "I don't know, I guess we can just ask Nate who we should use. I've never really worked with a contractor before."

"Yeah, I haven't either, I've always rented."

"Me too, but from what I've heard, we want to get a good one. Some contractors rip you off."

Lauren laughed. "Says the lawyer."

"Hey, I'll have you know that lawyers are upright and ethical. Unless you pay us a lot of money. Then all bets are off."

Lauren laughed, her hand moving from Bo's hair to her shoulder, rubbing slightly,

Bo sighed her eyes dropping closed.

"Feel good?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded. "I'm never using a sledgehammer again."

"I think that's a wise decision."

Bo smiled at the slight jab, keeping her eyes closed as Lauren continued to knead her shoulder.

"Come on, move over this way, I'll rub your back."

Bo started to protest, to tell Lauren that she didn't have to, but Lauren quickly shushed her and moved Bo so her back was to Lauren, her left side against the back of the couch.

Lauren placed her hands on Bo's sides, her thumbs rubbing firm circles under Bo's shoulder blades. Bo hummed in response, her sore muscles protesting against the pressure but loosening slightly under Lauren's hands.

As the massage continued, Bo slumped further forward, giving Lauren more access to her back. Lauren continued to work out the knotted muscles, and began humming unconsciously as she did so. After a while, Bo spoke. "What's that song?"

"Hm?"

"You've been humming, but I don't know what song it is."

Lauren paused for a moment. "Oh, it's just an old song my mom used to sing when I was sick as a kid."

Bo nodded. A few moments later, she spoke again, her voice low and quiet. "Have you talked to her?"

Lauren nodded, even though Bo couldn't see her, continuing to massage. "Yeah, I called her about a week ago."

"How did it go?"

"It was…okay. I told her about you."

Bo smiled slightly, though Lauren couldn't see her face.

"About how I'm devastatingly perfect?" Bo asked, trying to lighten the moment.

Lauren leaned forward and kissed the back of Bo's neck. "Yeah, actually."

"Are you guys going to keep talking?"

"I think so. She seemed…more receptive about you than she did about Nadia. Maybe she's coming around to the idea."

"You miss her."

Lauren didn't say anything, kneading her hands against the base of Bo's spine. A few moments later, Lauren moved slightly closer, her hands moving to circle Bo, hugging her into Lauren's chest. Lauren angled her face to the curve between Bo's neck and shoulder, dropping light kisses up her neck until she reached Bo's pulse point, her tongue darting out slightly against it.

Bo shivered. "How are you feeling?" Lauren asked, her voice low.

Bo turned her head. "Better," she mumbled as she reached her hand back, pulling Lauren into a deep kiss.

* * *

Bo woke up the next morning naked and tangled with Lauren, her skin feeling gritty and salty from the sweat that had dried on it during her sleep. She carefully untangled herself from Lauren without waking her and grabbed a tee shirt before padding to the kitchen to start the coffee.

While the coffee brewed, she turned on the news at a low volume. When it was finished, she pulled Lauren's normal mug out of the cabinet and grabbed a blue one for herself, since her usual green one was still sitting half full of tea on the coffee table.

She had just finished pouring some milk into Lauren's mug when Lauren walked into the kitchen, her robe tied loosely around her.

"What's going on?" she asked, glancing at the television.

Bo caught her up on the headlines of the news.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "We should just move to Canada," Lauren commented.

"I can't imagine us in Canada," Bo replied, taking a sip of her coffee. They continued to watch the news for a few minutes. "Are you working late tonight?"

Lauren shook her head. "No, I don't think so. What about you?"

"I might be a little late, I have a few contested motions this afternoon. If they all have hearings, it'll take a while."

Lauren nodded. "Okay. What do you want for dinner?"

Bo shrugged. "You can eat without me, I don't want to hold you up."

Lauren shook her head and walked over to Bo, kissing her on the temple. "Come on, be serious."

Bo smiled. "Anything is fine."

* * *

Bo's day was long and tedious. Most of her motions ended up having hearings, and by the time she was done it was 7:00 and she was exhausted. She packed up her office and headed home, looking forward to a quiet evening with her girlfriend.

When she walked in, she was immediately greeted by the smell of vegetable soup simmering on the stove. She smiled. Vegetable soup with grilled cheese sandwiches – a classic dinner that she knew Lauren picked because it wouldn't be cold whenever Bo got home. Touched by her thoughtfulness, Bo walked over to the stove to look at the soup, simmering beside the bread and cheese that was sitting on the counter, and sandwiches waiting to be made.

Bo lifted the lid of the pot on the stove and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell, when she was hit with the sensation of being was being watched.

Bo turned slowly, her senses tingling, and her eyes landed on a large, shaggy mutt, the size of a golden retriever, with golden blond long fur and crooked ears.

Her eyes locked with the dogs, and as they were staring at each other, Lauren walked into the room. "Oh, hey, baby, I didn't hear you come in," she said.

Bo didn't take her eyes off the dog. "Why is there a dog in your living room?"

"So, funny story, I was at work today…"

"You bought a dog?"

"Hey, it was your idea."

"Yeah, when we're living in the house, with a yard."

"Plus, you're always saying I don't have enough home security. Now we have a guard dog."

"He didn't even react when I walked in," Bo noted.

"So he's a relaxed security dog," Lauren said, waving off the comment.

"Where did you even find him?"

"From a rescue. Or, well, from a nurse at work who got him from a rescue. Her apartment won't let her have pets, and when they found out about him, they made her get rid of him."

The dog continued to stare at Bo, his head quirked to the side, one ear sticking up and one ear flopped forward.

"Why does he keep staring at me?" Bo asked.

"He likes you," Lauren answered, beaming.

Bo sighed. "I don't get a say in this, do I?"

"He's _perfect._ "

"Right…and…"

"And you bought a house without telling me."

"There it is," Bo smiled, nodding.

Lauren laughed.

Bo sighed. "Alright, so we have a dog. Should we name him?"

"I thought about naming him Eric, for Eric Clapton."

Bo rolled her eyes. " _Please._ Jimmy is a way better name."

Lauren laughed again. "Whatever. Anyway, he came with a name – Zeus."

"Zeus…" Bo repeated, slowly.

"Like the Greek god."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Joseph Campbell, I got that."

Lauren laughed. "Sorry."

"So, we have a dog."

"Isn't he great?" Lauren asked, her excitement obvious, seeming almost giddy.

Bo couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Yeah he's great."

Lauren nearly bounced over to Bo, kissing her cheek before walking to the stove to start the sandwiches.

Zeus stood up and wandered over to Bo, sniffing her hand and licking her fingers. Bo sighed and wiped the drool on her pant leg. "Just great."

Lauren looked back to Bo over her shoulder. "He's really smart, too, Zeus – sit, Zeus! Sit!"

The dog continued standing, cocking his head at Lauren.

"I swear he sat like five minutes before you got here."

Bo just shook her head and smiled.

* * *

Why are you still here? Go read Fae to Fae. I feel like we just went over this. God.

Oh, also, let me know your thoughts


	42. Chapter 42

Hey, guys. How many people forgot about this story? Remember when I used to update quickly? Good times.

So, here's the deal - it took me a while to get to this chapter, because I like to waste time and ignore my responsibilities. For those of you who are "responsible" and "adults", I really recommend trying this. Seriously, it's so fun.

Anyway, I hadn't written anything, and my lovely beta, lynedele77 kindly reminded me that I needed to write something or she would harm me, both physically and emotionally. She's such a supportive person. I started writing and it was TERRIBLE - like, seriously, really terrible. So, I sent it to her, and then said never mind, then wrote a new chapter, then said never mind, and then wrote a third chapter, and when I told her not to read it because I was going to rewrite it she told me if I didn't just shut up and let her read what was going on she would murder my family. Again, such a supportive friend. High five to lynedele77.

All of that to say that you only have this chapter because lynedele77 is awesome. Also, she might murder me. If she does, take the time you won't be using to read this story to read Fae to Fae, because, seriously, it's so good.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Get the ball, Zeus! Zeus, get the ball!" Lauren called, clapping her hands on her legs as the tennis ball she had just thrown bounced through the yard.

Instead of chasing the ball, Zeus sat still, looking at her with his head cocked.

Lauren sighed, walking out to get the ball herself. Zeus watched her as he continued to sit next to the back door of Bo and Lauren's house.

The late October air was cool, and a slight breeze blew as Lauren walked back toward the house, tennis ball in hand. As the evening sun dipped lower in the sky, she shivered slightly and pulled her sweater tighter around her. Zeus continued to look at her, his tail wagging slightly harder as she approached. She walked up and scratched him behind the ear. He leaned in and sniffed her other hand, which was holding the tennis ball.

"Want to play?" she asked him.

He wagged his tail harder.

"Yeah?." She moved the ball in front of his face, trying to get his attention. He started to follow the ball with his head, his eyes wide in anticipation. "Okay, Zeus, here we go – fetch the ball, Zeus!" Lauren threw the ball back out into the yard.

Once again, Zeus followed the ball with his head but remained still. When the ball finally stopped rolling in the grass, he looked back at Lauren and cocked his head to the side, causing one ear to stand straight up and the other to flop over.

Lauren groaned. "Alright, fine," she grumbled, walking back out to retrieve the ball once again.

"Playing fetch alone?" Bo asked with a smirk, walking out the back door of the house. Zeus looked up at her happily, immediately padding over to her and pushing his head against her leg. She patted his head and she waited for Lauren to make it back to them.

"He just doesn't know how to do it," Lauren said with a shrug. "He'll learn."

"Or maybe he just enjoys watching _you_ chase it. It isn't a bad view," Bo teased.

"I don't think the dog is staring at my ass, Bo."

Zeus gave a quick bark and Bo laughed. Lauren rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance with both of them and dropping the tennis ball into the grass near the door. As she rubbed her hands together, dislodging the few blades of grass that had stuck to her, Bo reached over and hooked her fingers into Lauren's belt loop. She tugged Lauren towards her and kissed her sweetly.

Lauren smiled in response. "What was that for?"

"You're just so damn cute," Bo answered.

Lauren grinned and pulled Bo back into her, their kiss quickly growing more heated. Before it could progress further, however, they felt Zeus worming his head between them.

Lauren broke the kiss, her breath slightly disrupted.

Bo sighed at the loss of contact. "Yeah, so this dog…we're definitely on board with this decision?"

Lauren kissed Bo's cheek lightly. "Yes. We are."

"Great. I was worried we'd changed our minds."

"We haven't."

"Awesome," Bo said, sighing.

Lauren grinned again, pecking Bo's lips. "How does the house look?"

"Like a tornado whipped through it," Bo answered, pushing a stray piece of Lauren's hair behind her ear. "They've started working, though."

"That's good. I'm sure it'll come together fast."

Bo laughed. "Ever the optimist, Doctor Lewis." Bo laced their fingers together as they started to walk toward the car, Zeus trailing after them. "The contractor is saying that the foundation work will be done soon, but this project is going to take forever."

"We have time," Lauren assured. "It's not like we're in a rush."

"Yeah, I guess."

"It'll get done."

"I know. I just… I want to move in with you." Lauren laughed, and Bo glanced at her. "What?"

"You _do_ live with me," Lauren noted.

"Yeah, but not in _our_ house. I want to live with you in our house."

Lauren shook her head. "You're so impatient."

"I prefer 'focused'," Bo corrected with a smile.

Lauren chuckled as they reached the car, arranging Zeus in the backseat. "Maybe we could go look at furniture this weekend," Bo suggested, climbing into the driver's seat. "We can start figuring out how we're going to want to arrange everything. Also, I know you're going to be all picky about your desk."

"I'm not picky," Lauren defended.

"You got annoyed with me for buying the wrong pens two weeks ago," Bo countered

"Well, yeah, I mean, red ink? We aren't barbarians."

Zeus awkwardly turned around twice before dropping with a huff in the backseat, his chin on his paw. Lauren looked back at him with a smile before giving his nose a rub.

Bo shook her head, maneuvering the car back toward the road. "It's already 7:30, we should probably just pick up dinner on the way home."

Zeus yelped in the backseat.

"Zeus wants a taco," Lauren said, offhandedly.

Bo rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you know we haven't talked about what we're doing for Halloween, and it's coming up on Saturday," Bo commented, slowing down for a stop sign.

"Do we need to help at the Dal?"

"Kenzi and Dyson haven't said. I think Vex is planning to do the bar crawl, so we could tell them we can't help."

"I feel like we should at least _offer_ to help out," Lauren commented. "I mean, Kenzi is trying to plan a wedding. A night off with Nate might be good for them."

"Either way, we need to decide if we're going to dress up, because we don't have costumes if we are."

Lauren hesitated for a moment, thinking. "I don't think I've dressed up for Halloween since…well, honestly, I don't remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween."

"As long as you're something slutty, I'm on board," Bo answered with a mischievous grin.

"Ha, ha," Lauren fake laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Hm. Why don't I carry a baby and you cover yourself in dirt?"

Lauren looked at her blankly. When Bo didn't elaborate, Lauren sighed. "Alright, why would we do that?"

"Because together we would be Mother Earth," Bo answered with a self-satisfied grin.

"God, you're _so_ dorky," Lauren groaned, shaking her head.

Bo smiled. "You have something better in mind, Doctor Lewis?"

"I don't know, maybe something that doesn't involve me rolling around in dirt, though, thanks," she laughed.

"Hey, I'm just saying it's a look you could pull off."

"So I can pull off unwashed, dirty chic. Good to know," Lauren grinned.

Bo lifted Lauren's hand and kissed the back of it.

"But you know what, I'm fine with anything, because in four days my week gets amazing."

"What happens in four days?"

"On Thursday Dr. Myer leaves for a conference, and I don't have to see him until the following Tuesday. I can't wait."

Bo smiled at Lauren's happiness. "What's the conference?"

"It's just this annual thing in New Orleans."

"Big deal?"

"Sort of."

"I'm surprised they didn't send you."

Lauren laughed and Bo glanced over at her. "Why is that so funny? You're brilliant and sexy. I would definitely pick you to promote my hospital."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I don't think the board cares about 'sexy' so much for the conference, though."

"Then I have to question the priorities of the Board."

Lauren chuckled. "I've only been at the hospital for, what, like eighteen months? Plus the Board _loves_ Dr. Myer."

Bo reached her hand over to Lauren's lap, threading her fingers through Lauren's as she drove. The sun had set, and Bo found herself enjoying the silence of it, appreciating the feeling of being in the enclosed bubble of the car with her girlfriend, feeling like they were the only two people in the world.

Zeus barked again from the backseat.

"He wasn't kidding about that taco," Lauren noted.

Bo sighed heavily.

* * *

The next morning Lauren woke up and padded to the kitchen to see Bo sitting on the couch, the news turned on, drinking coffee, a stack of papers spread out before her. She was holding up what looked to be some kind of report when Lauren walked in, and with a slight smile Lauren noted Zeus was sitting with her, sprawled on the couch, his chin resting on her leg.

"Morning," she said, walking to the coffeepot.

"Morning, baby, how'd you sleep?" Bo asked, continuing to read.

Lauren filled her mug and added some milk before walking back over to Bo. "What is all this?"

Bo glanced up. "Nothing crazy, I just got a call early this morning about a new case, and I had them e-mail me everything they had so far."

Lauren shook her head. "It's like you have a whole day before I even get up."

Bo waved her off. "This is nothing, I swear, just figuring out some charges, that's all."

Lauren nodded and nudged Zeus, trying to get him to move so she could sit on the couch. Zeus sighed loudly in response, licking his lips, refusing to move off of Bo.

Lauren stared at him. " _Seriously?_ She didn't even want you, you know."

Zeus yawned and relaxed against Bo again, his weight shifting just slightly as he pressed into her.

Lauren sighed in defeat and crossed over to sit in the chair near the couch, glancing up at the news.

"Sorry, I know this is a mess," Bo commented, continuing to read. "I'm going to take it to work with me, so it'll be cleaned up."

Lauren laughed. "You live here now, you know, you're allowed to make a mess."

Bo glanced up with a bemused smile. "I know, but I also know it drives you crazy."

Lauren thought about denying it, but the fact was Bo was right. "It doesn't really matter," she commented. "Once the house is ready we'll have offices, anyway."

"True," Bo answered. "Then I can make a huge mess and just close the door."

Lauren shook her head. "How you keep track of everything is beyond me."

"Organized chaos, baby, organized chaos."

"Still, it would drive me crazy. Oh, hey, speaking of work, I'm probably going to be working late tonight," Lauren commented, taking a sip of her coffee.

Bo nodded.

Lauren propped her feet up on the coffee table, continuing to watch the news while Bo read. A few minutes later, Bo spoke again.

"Oh, hey, I did have another Halloween costume idea."

Lauren glanced over. "Is it another pun?"

Bo grinned. "No. I just got thinking about last Halloween."

Lauren paused for a half second before a smile broke over her face at the memory of their first kiss. "Last year was kind of a great year."

"It got better in the Spring," Bo remarked off-handedly.

"True."

"Anyway, I was thinking – what if you dressed like an escaped convict? It would be like an inside joke for us."

"What would you be?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged. "I don't know, I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Mostly I got distracted by the idea of you in handcuffs."

Lauren laughed. "Alright," she said, thinking, "what if you dressed as a doctor? I wouldn't mind seeing you in a lab coat."

Now it was Bo's turn to laugh. "Alright, I'll dress as Doctor Lauren Lewis, star witness."

Zeus yawned again, pushing his head against Bo who absentmindedly reached down to scratch his ear.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should dress Zeus as your nurse," she huffed.

* * *

After work Bo headed to the Dal to see Kenzi. Lauren had said she planned to be home around 7:30, so Bo figured she could kill two birds with one stone – she could talk to Kenzi about Halloween, and pick up dinner from the bar.

When Bo walked in she found the bar half full, mostly with regulars. She spotted Kenzi almost immediately and approached the counter.

"Jesus, the service here is terrible," she teased, grabbing a stool.

"Well, we don't have great clientele," Kenzi answered, smiling. "Where's Doctor Hotpants?"

"Working," Bo said, grabbing a pretzel. "So I thought I'd come annoy you."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Great. Always nice to be an afterthought."

Bo blew Kenzi a kiss and took another pretzel. "So, what's the deal on Halloween?"

"Same as always, the bar crawl," Kenzi answered, grabbing a liquor bottle and making a drink.

"Need extra help?"

"Are you offering?"

Bo rolled her eyes. "No, I thought I'd find some vagrants for you. _Yes_ , I'm offering. Lauren too, actually – it was actually more her idea. She thought you and Nate might want a night off."

"Aw, LoLo is such a nice person."

"Hey, what about me?"

"You I'm on the fence about," Kenzi quipped, passing the drink to the customer with a smile.

Bo rolled her eyes. "You know, I could just tell Lauren you don't need help then she and I could go dancing…"

Kenzi laughed. "Alright, alright, we'd love some help. I hired some new staff, so I can have them close. We could all go out dancing by, like, 11, probably."

Bo nodded. "Okay, that sounds good." She grabbed the menu and started looking at it.

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "You're a part owner of this bar and you don't know what's on the menu?"

"You know I like to look anyway," Bo defended, rolling her eyes. A few minutes later she glanced back up at Kenzi, who was looking at her impatiently. "Hi. I'd like to place an order, please."

Kenzi shook her head, grabbing an order pad. Bo stated her order, and Kenzi typed it into the system. "Alright, that's $22.37," she quoted Bo.

Bo looked at her, unmoving. When Kenzi just waited, Bo shook her head. "I'm sorry, I thought I was part owner of this bar, why am I paying full price?"

Kenzi lifted her left hand and pointed to her ring. "Don't forget to tip," she smirked.

* * *

Bo arrived home and laid the food out on the counter before heading to the bedroom to change. Lauren wasn't here yet, so she took the time to grab a bottle of wine from the fridge and to set the table. Sure, she couldn't cook, but she figured she could at least pretend to put together a nice dinner of…well, bar food.

She had just finished setting out the plates when she heard Lauren's key in the door. When she walked in, Zeus started barking. Bo looked at him surprised.

Lauren looked at the dog. "Alright, seriously, what the hell, you bark at me but not at her?"

Zeus sneezed and wandered over to Bo, brushing himself against her leg protectively.

"Unbelievable," Lauren muttered. She walked over to Bo and gave her a quick peck hello. "You got us dinner?"

Bo smiled. "Maybe I _made_ us dinner," she challenged.

Lauren pointed to the bag on the counter. "That says 'The Dal Riata'," she commented.

"You really could have been a detective."

Lauren shook her head and accepted the glass of wine Bo had poured for her.

"Kenzi said she does need our help for a little while on Halloween, if you don't mind."

"Sure, no problem."

They sat down, getting ready to eat dinner. Zeus wandered over and sat beside Bo. Lauren rolled her eyes. "Maybe we do need to get rid of this dog."

Bo grinned. "I don't know, he's starting to grow on me."

Lauren laughed, taking a bite of her dinner.

"Anyway, Kenzi said she has people to close, so we can go out and drink, and dance, and act generally like delinquents if you want."

Lauren laughed. "Oh, how well you know me," she smiled.

* * *

By the time Bo got to work on Tuesday she found that she was in a good mood. Yeah, she had a ton of work she needed to do, and yeah, the next few weeks were looking like they were going to become an absolute nightmare, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter that the coffee was burnt, or that her phone wouldn't stop ringing, or that she was drowning in paperwork, or that she had a mile long list of unanswered e-mails. Nothing could touch her good mood.

Bo had just reached for another file when she felt her cell phone buzz on the desk beside her.

Lauren: _Fuck today._

Bo: _Was that supposed to say 'fuck me today'? Because I can be there in fifteen._

Lauren: _Dr. Myer just backed out of the conference. He isn't going._

Bo: _Why?_

Lauren: _I don't know, something about family being in town or something._

Bo: _Can he do that?_

Lauren: _He did._

Bo: _Sorry, baby, I know you were looking forward to a week away from him._

Lauren: _That isn't the part I'm upset about._

Bo was confused for a moment. A few seconds later, Lauren texted back.

Lauren: _They want me to go instead._

Bo: _Are you serious? That's great! Isn't this supposed to be really important?_

Lauren: _Yeah, I mean, it is._

Bo hesitated.

Bo: _But…?_

Lauren: _It's in New Orleans._

Bo felt her heart sink as that detail came back to her.

Bo: _Oh…_

Lauren: _Yeah._

Bo sighed. Okay, so Lauren was going to be gone for a week. That was fine, it wasn't a big deal. Besides, this was huge for her – she had told Bo how important this conference was to the hospital. The fact that she was being asked to go, even at the last minute, was a huge vote of confidence. She was proud of her. She should be excited for her.

Lauren: _Any chance you want to take off work and come with me?_

Bo glanced at the files threatening to topple over on her desk. _I wish I could, but I don't think I can get off_ , she texted. _I have a lot to do before we go to Nate and Kenzi's wedding._

Lauren: _Great._

Bo felt like she could feel Lauren's disappointment through the phone.

Lauren: _We aren't going to get to spend Halloween together._

Bo's eyes reflexively moved to the side of her desk, her mind flashing back to last Halloween when she had kissed Lauren for the first time.

God, this sucked.

Bo: _I know, but it's okay. It's just a week, right? It'll be over fast._

Lauren: _Fuck today._

This time Bo didn't bother to make a funny comment back. She looked around at her office, annoyed by the massive stack of files, the bitter, stale coffee, the shrill ring of the phone, the oceans of paperwork, the miles of unanswered e-mails.

Bo: _Yeah, fuck today_.

* * *

Bo left work at noon on Wednesday. She told her secretary she was taking the rest of the day off, and headed out to pick up lunch for her and Lauren.

Once she had the food, she headed to Lauren's apartment. Lauren had just gotten home when Bo arrived, and they kissed hello. They moved to the kitchen and ate quickly, chatting and catching up on the day, before hastily throwing the plates in the sink and moving to the bedroom to pack Lauren's things.

They had intended to pack the night before, but every time they tried, Bo got…distracted. Hey, her girlfriend was going to be gone for a week, alright? By the time the alarm clock had gone off in the morning Bo and Lauren had been asleep for almost two hours and the suitcase was still sitting, open and empty, in the corner of the bedroom.

As Lauren moved around the room, quickly gathering the various items she would need, Bo watched her, desperately trying to think of a reason to make Lauren stay. She thought about just asking her not to go, but she didn't, because the truth was as much as they were both dreading this, it was important for Lauren's career. Going to this kind of conference, representing the hospital – it signaled Lauren's importance. Bo wanted that for her. She deserved that sort of recognition.

But, seriously, did they really need to give her that kind of recognition for a week? Over a weekend? Over Halloween?

Bo crossed the room to where Lauren was standing. She turned her around, pressed her against the wall, and kissed her soundly. Lauren reacted almost immediately, melting into Bo without thinking. A few seconds later her brain caught up, and she tried to push Bo back slightly. "Baby," she breathed, "this is what happened last night. I have to get packed."

Bo sighed, trying to think of a response, but when no words came to her she pressed into back into Lauren, their lips colliding once again.

Lauren feigned a struggle for a moment, but a second later her arms wound their way around Bo's neck, her mouth opening. Bo felt her thoughts become fuzzy and disconnected as Lauren took over her senses, the smell of clean cotton washing over her.

"I have to pack or I'm going to be late," Lauren mumbled against Bo.

"Mm," Bo hummed. "Maybe you'll miss your flight."

Lauren smiled against Bo's lips and quickly kissed her one more time, not allowing Bo to take any advantage. "Come on, help me pack," Lauren suggested slipping past Bo and turning her focus back to her previous task.

Bo sighed in defeat and turned to the closet, helping Lauren gather her things.

"Are you sure you want to be a doctor? Because I'm starting to think you should do something else," Bo joked.

Lauren laughed. "It's just a few days."

"I know. But…Zeus will miss you," Bo responded.

Lauren glanced at her. "Doubtful, he didn't even react when I got home. Also, are you trying to use our dog against me?"

"Is it a working?"

"A little."

"Then yes."

Lauren laughed.

* * *

It felt strange sleeping without Bo. She knew it would, but she was still struck by it as she laid on the unfamiliar sheets in the hotel room. She missed the rhythm of Bo's breathing, the way Bo's skin was always warm, the way Bo would unconsciously reach and touch her, even in her sleep. Everything she missed was small, insignificant, but somehow it all added up to something much larger, something that kept Lauren tossing and turning throughout the night.

By the time morning came Lauren felt groggy. She took a colder than normal shower in an effort to shock her brain awake, then proceeded to dress quickly and prepare for the conference. She needed to get her head straight. Yes, she missed Bo, and yes, she wished Bo were here, but the fact was, Bo wasn't here, and she just needed to accept that and move on. With new resolve, she finished putting on her makeup and headed to the conference.

The main conference room was conveniently located in her hotel. After checking in and getting her name tag, she walked over to table that held muffins and urns of coffee. She was surveying the selection when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Lauren?"

She turned around quickly, her eyes landing on Nadia.

"Nadia?"

Nadia smiled brightly. "Hi, I didn't know you were coming to this," she commented giving Lauren a quick hug.

"I didn't either, at least not until a few days ago. The doctor that was supposed to come had something come up. So here I am. Anyway, how have you been?"

"I've been really good. Just, you know, working a lot," Nadia answered, moving to grab a cup of coffee.

As her hand went for the mug, Lauren caught a flash in the corner of her vision. "Wait – is that what I think it is?" Lauren asked, her eyes falling on the two bands around Nadia's finger.

Nadia looked back up at Lauren, smiling broadly. "Yeah, actually."

"Oh my God, that's amazing! When did you get married?"

"About a month ago."

"I knew you were seeing someone, but you didn't tell me it had gotten that serious," Lauren commented.

Nadia shrugged. "It hadn't, really. I mean, it just kind of happened so fast, you know? One day we started talking about it, and before we know it…I know pronounce you. It was kind of crazy."

Lauren smiled shaking her head. "You always were more impulsive than me."

"You _need_ someone impulsive," Nadia answered, laughing. "Speaking of, how's Bo?"

"Bo is…great. Bo is Bo," Lauren answered, involuntarily smiling widely as Bo's name fell from her lips.

Nadia gave her a knowing look. "So you're thinking about it, too."

"Thinking about what?"

"Seriously Lauren? I've known you a _long_ time."

Lauren sighed in defeat. "Alright, so maybe I've thought about it."

"Maybe? That smile says otherwise," Nadia teased, taking a sip of her coffee. "I always wondered what it would take to get you down the aisle."

"I wasn't opposed to marriage," Lauren defended.

Nadia shrugged. "I know that, but you weren't exactly for it, either."

A shuffling in the conference room drew their attention as people began to gather and take their seats. "Hey, I told some people I'd sit with them," Nadia commented, looking back at Lauren. "But do you want to grab a drink on Bourbon Street tonight?"

Lauren nodded. "Absolutely. Sounds great. See you then."

* * *

Thanks, lynedele77. Everyone else, let me know what you think


	43. Chapter 43

How's everyone doing?

So, it's been a little while since I updated. Here's the deal...I'm super into ignoring the things I should be doing, guys. It's crazy. I'm so, so good at it. I'm planning to go pro. Also, my work has this weird thing where they want me to "show up" and "work" and my children want to "be fed" and "bathed." Everyone is so demanding, geesh.

Anyway, if you're happy to be reading this chapter, give some love to lynedele77 who once again reminded me that, yes, I actually have a story that needs to be update, and maybe I should do that because maybe someone is curious about what's going to happen. I mean, she wasn't curious, because she already knows, but still. Oh, hey, while we're talking, have you read Fae to Fae? Because that story is the fucking SHIT. I'm serious. So good. I don't think she even gets how good it is. Insane. Anyway.

Alright, so this chapter - people, I'm not going to lie to you, it gets real weird. I mean, there are rabid parakeets and a drunk lemur...okay, so there isn't, but these are all ideas that come to me, and lynedele77 shoots them all down. Probably a good call. High five, lynedele77 (whose real name is fucker. It's so weird using her pen name).

Quick side note - fucker and I are planning a collaboration! If you're into that, it means you're obviously very smart, so good for you! Also, we need a pen name, since we'll be posting jointly and will both need access to the account. Send me your name suggestions so we can read them over. It's going to be awesome, guys, I mean, seriously. I want to add a lot of weird shit and fucker is trying to deal with that...it's going to be so much fun you guys, you don't even know.

Enjoy!

* * *

Bo woke up on Thursday morning curled up on Lauren's side of the bed. She turned her face to press it into the pillow, catching the light smell of Lauren's shampoo against the fabric. She smiled as she breathed in the familiar scent. She was vaguely aware that it was early – the sun wasn't all the way up yet – but after emerging from her deep sleep she felt confused and disoriented as her brain struggled to transition from being asleep to being awake..

She rolled to her back and glanced over at her side of the bed, noting that it was covered by a mass of blond hair. _Lauren?_ her groggy brain questioned. But no – this hair was short, too thick, and a different shade than Lauren's. Also, it smelled nothing like clean cotton.

Bo was still trying to get her sleep addled mind to work out what she was seeing when a blond tail swished up and struck her in the face. Clarity flooded her and she sighed as she heard the dog huff.

"Morning, Zeus," she mumbled, pushing herself up to get out of bed. Zeus made no move to reply, opting instead to push his face further into the crumpled blankets. Apparently, he was not a morning person either.

Bo stretched as she stood and made her way to the kitchen to start the coffee. Once the brew had begun, she flipped on the news and made her way to the cabinet to pull out the mugs. She had just set Lauren's down on the counter when she remembered – she didn't need that one today. Lauren wasn't here. She glanced at the flower design for a moment and sighed before replacing it in the cabinet.

Once her coffee was prepared, she walked over to the couch and pulled her computer into her lap, logging to check her e-mail. The house was quiet – much quieter than she was accustomed to. It wasn't that Lauren was loud, it was just…life sounds. She could normally hear Lauren getting up, or turning on the sink to brush her teeth, or opening the dresser for clothes. Today there was just…nothing. Silence.

The sound of Zeus' toenails clacking on the floor drew her attention and she watched as he went to the kitchen, took a few licks of water from his bowl, and then turned toward the couch, jumping up and flopping down beside her, his head against her leg, his eyes looking up into hers.

She rubbed his ear, mussing the fur on the top of his head. "I know, buddy, I miss her too," she soothed with a sigh. She turned her attention back to the television, watching absentmindedly as her thoughts moved over what she needed to accomplish today.

She didn't have court today, which meant she could possibly clear some of the files off her desk. After work she could go by the house and see how things were coming along, maybe take Zeus with her so he could stretch his legs. From there she would probably come back, work on a few more cases, and then crash.

She glanced around the house one more time, almost looking for Lauren. It felt strange to be here without her, to be completely surrounded by things that were just…. _Lauren._ It was like the entire contents of the house were lying in wait, frozen, waiting for Lauren's touch to bring them to life. Bo had been staying here for a while now, but the fact was she didn't really think of it as _her_ home – it was very much Lauren's; being in this space without her felt wrong somehow.

She glanced at the time, noting that it was too early to bother Lauren with a text, and took a sip of her coffee as she headed to the bathroom to shower. The mug was about half empty when she set it beside the sink, shedding her clothes, and stepping under the hot shower spray as the steam from the water filled the bathroom with a thick fog.

She grabbed the shampoo and started with her hair, working the suds against her scalp as her thoughts began to wander. She was drawn back to the morning when she and Lauren had helped Kenzi and Nate move into together, how Lauren had stepped into the shower behind her…

She seriously needed to get a grip. Lauren had been gone for roughly fourteen hours and already she was turning into a needy, obsessed mess. She took a steadying breath and pushed her head under the spray, letting the pounding water rinse her clean as she attempted to shake the images of Lauren, naked and sliding against her, from her mind.

She twisted the water off and grabbed her towel from the hook beside the shower, drying herself and stepping out. The mirror was covered in condensation and she cracked the door to vent the steam. A few minutes later it started to clear and soon she could make out her dark brown eyes in the damp mirror.

 _You can do this_ , she told her reflection. _It's just a few days. You're going to focus on work, you're going to spend time with Zeus, you're going to hang out with Kenzi, and you're going to be_ fine.

She stared at herself a moment longer before grabbing her makeup. _Yeah,_ she thought as she began putting it on, _tell yourself whatever you want. The truth is, you're fucked._

* * *

Bo sat in her office, absentmindedly tapping the back of her pen against the legal pad on her desk as she tried to focus on the paperwork spread out before her. She was trying to focus, but it was proving futile; the more she tried to read, the more she found she wasn't paying attention.

She reached for her coffee and took a sip, finding it cold. She sighed deeply, feeling her mood sink further. She glanced at the clock and decided to get a fresh cup. It was only 10:00 – too soon to text Lauren, who was probably sitting in a conference room right now. Bo toyed with the idea of texting Lauren anyway – if she was busy, she would just ignore it and read it later. What was the harm?

She grabbed her phone and tapped Lauren's name, her thumb hovering over the keypad, before she sighed and put the phone back down. This was ridiculous. She was a grown ass woman. She could go a few hours without talking to her girlfriend. With new resolve, she got up and went to get a fresh cup of coffee.

When Bo got back to her desk she hit the home button on her phone. She screen alerted her that she had one text message, the name _Lauren_ appearing above it. A smile involuntarily broke out across Bo's face as she felt her heart beat slightly faster.

God, she was pathetic.

She clicked open the message.

Lauren: _Hey, baby. How's your day going?_

Bo: _Getting better all the time. How's the conference?_

Lauren: _Really good, actually. They have some incredible speakers lined up._

Bo: _That's great. I'm really proud of you. Even though I wish you were less important so you would be here with me. Preferably naked._

Lauren: _Aren't you at work?_

Bo: _Yeah, why?_

Lauren: _I just feel like me being naked in your office would be frowned upon._

Bo: _Have you seen you? Naked Lauren is always a positive, anytime, anywhere._

Lauren: _What would we do if I was there?_

Bo sat back, rereading the message. Interesting. She bit her lip while contemplating her response - there were so many things she wanted to do - when another message came through from Lauren.

Lauren: _Hey, we'll have to finish this later, I have to run._

Bo sighed. _Okay. Talk to you later tonight?_

Lauren: _Yeah, I'll text you. After we end for the day I'm going to grab a quick drink with Nadia, so I'll text you when I get back to the hotel for the night._

Wait – what? Bo's thumb froze over the keypad as she read the text two more times. No, it really did say Nadia. Nadia was there. With Lauren.

Bo: _Oh, okay. Have fun._ She hesitated for a moment before hitting send. What was she supposed to say to that?

 _Don't go_ , Bo thought. But she couldn't say that, not really. Lauren was an adult. Bo had no reason to distrust her. And, also, it's not like Lauren was hiding something. It was clear from the tone of the message that Lauren didn't see this as a big deal.

 _Don't be paranoid. It's a drink. It's fine._ Still, though – Nadia had dated Lauren for five years. She had to know what a catch Lauren was, had to realize what she had let slip away. What if Nadia made Lauren feel nostalgic and they ended up rekindling something? What if Lauren was just lonely, like Bo was, and figured, what the hell, what's the harm?

 _Lauren wouldn't do any of that_ , her mind reminded herself.

Bo knew she was being ridiculous, alright? She got it. She knew. But…fuck, Lauren was _perfect_. She had a right to be a little jealous of the woman who got to see her naked for five years. She got to be a little freaked out that Lauren was spending time, possibly alone, with someone she had once loved.

Her thumb still hovering over the message, she finally hit send. Lauren didn't answer, and Bo dropped her phone to her desk a minute later, a deep sigh falling from her lips.

* * *

Bo's day dragged on. In the afternoon she moved into her secretary's office, reviewing some case files and goofing off for a little while to pass the time. When she returned to her desk, she grabbed her phone to check her messages and saw another one from Lauren, that had come in about a half hour before.

 _This city is incredible. I wish you were here to see it with me. Also, I hear during Mardi Gras you win beads for taking your shirt off. I would love to come back here during Mardi Gras and watch you win beads._

Bo couldn't help the smile that broke over her face. God, she missed her. Bo thought for a moment and then texted back. _How many have you won so far?_

Bo put her phone back on her desk, turning her attention back to her work while she waited for Lauren to answer. About ten minutes passed before she heard her phone buzz, and she grabbed it to see another message from Lauren.

 _Only sixteen sets. But the day is young._

A light laugh bubbled out of Bo. _Can I see a picture?_

Lauren: _As a prosecutor I would think you would understand the importance of not sending compromising photos._

Bo: _I'm willing to take the risk._

Lauren: _Alright. If you're sure you want to see._

Before Bo had a chance to respond, a picture came through to Bo's phone, showing Lauren's hand holding a mass of green and gold beads.

Bo laughed. _Yes, that is exactly the picture I was requesting_ she texted, the sarcasm evident even through the phone.

Lauren: _Hey, I'm about to go into another session. I'll talk to you in a bit?_

Bo smiled while texting back, _Go have fun. I love you._

Bo looked at the text before sending it, opting to delete the 'I love you' before she sent it off. She didn't want to appear _too_ needy, even if it was true.

* * *

Lauren: _This speaker is boring. I don't know why they scheduled him on the first day._

Bo: _I don't think you're supposed to text during the lectures, Doctor._

Lauren: _It's this or fall asleep. Entertain me._

Bo: _I'm watching a body cam video of a man who got into someone's car and stripped naked down to a thong with a hole in the front, which he stuck his penis through, and a black lace bra. He then went to door of the house where the car was, knocked, and was surprised when the guy called the cops._

Lauren: _…I don't understand the world at all._

Bo: _It was a surprisingly nice bra. You would look great in it. Or out of it._

Lauren: _Please don't bring used lingerie home._

Bo: _Where is your sense of adventure?_

Lauren: _I can be very adventurous._

Bo: _Interested._

Lauren: _I went on a safari in college._

Bo: _Less interested._

Lauren: _Had sex in the back of a Jeep._

Bo: _We should go on a safari._

Lauren: _Lol._

* * *

When the conference ended for the day, Lauren returned to her room to change. She felt somewhat invigorated, despite the fact that she hadn't slept that well the night before. Despite one or two boring speakers, it was going well so far. The agenda for the next few days looked equally impressive.

She quickly washed her face and applied fresh makeup before running a brush through her hair and grabbing clean clothes for her evening out with Nadia. She was actually looking forward to it. She and Nadia had talked a few times since their breakup, but they had lost touch in the last few months. Lauren hadn't thought about it, really, but now that she had seen her, she realized that she had missed her friend.

The romantic spark was gone, she knew that, but despite its absence Lauren still enjoyed talking to Nadia. She's always had an easy laugh that Lauren enjoyed, but more than anything Nadia _knew_ Lauren. She always had. It was nice to talk to someone who just got you. Nadia wasn't as tuned in to Lauren as Bo was, but still, without Bo here, Nadia was a good fill-in.

She threw the keycard to her room into her purse next to her wallet and cellphone and headed out toward Bourbon Street. The air was sharp and cool, and for a moment she contemplated going back for a jacket, but decided against it. She would just take a cab home if it got too cold.

Bourbon Street was crowded when Lauren arrived. She took a moment to scan the street as drunk revelers spilled in and out of bars, laughing, talking, shouting, and, of course, drinking. Her eyes snagged on the sign for the bar where she and Nadia had agreed to meet, and she made her way to the entrance, weaving around the crowds of drunk people.

Nadia was seated at a table near the back when Lauren entered. She waved to her to let her know she was there and moved toward the bar to order a drink. Once it was in hand, she edged her way to the table.

"This place is crazy," she commented as she sat down.

"You're on Bourbon Street," Nadia noted with a light laugh. " _Everywhere_ is crazy."

Lauren nodded and took a sip of her drink, smiling as the alcohol warmed her chest. It burned slightly in her throat and she was vaguely aware that her face would be flushed in a few minutes. "So, how have you been?"

Nadia took a sip of her own drink. "I've been great. Work is going really well." There was a buzz on the table and Nadia grabbed her phone, a faint look of disappointment crossing her eyes just long enough for Lauren to catch it.

"Not Stacey?" Lauren asked with a smile.

Nadia glanced back up at her. "That obvious?"

"I've known you a long time, you know."

Nadia nodded. "I wish she could have come with me, that's all."

"Yeah, I get that. Bo couldn't come, either."

"Sucks."

"Definitely." Nadia took another sip of her drink, and Lauren did the same. "So," Lauren continued, "tell me the story."

"The story?"

"You and Stacey. The proposal, the wedding, the whole thing."

A faint smile came over Nadia's face as she started talking. "I don't know, really, it just all happened really fast. We started seeing each other after you and I broke up, and at first it was just kind of casual, you know? Not a big thing. But then, one day…I don't know. I guess it just clicked. We were together all the time, and I started realizing that every time I thought about my future, she was there. It was like, I'd hear about a job opening somewhere else and my first thought would be 'but would that work for Stacey?' And I guess I just started to realize, this wasn't going away."

"Who proposed?"

"I did. We went to dinner and a movie one night, and the food was terrible, and the movie was _so bad_ , and, I don't know, by the end of the night it was all so awful that we just couldn't stop laughing about it. We were going back to the car and I just…asked her. It was like I couldn't stop myself, like…I don't know, like I almost couldn't believe that we _weren't_ engaged already, you know?"

"And she said yes right away?"

"Yeah. She started crying, and that really freaked me out at first."

Lauren laughed. "You never were good with tears."

Nadia grinned. "No, not at all. But she said yes, and we went home and just started planning."

"Was it a big wedding?"

"Mostly just family, a few friends – I almost invited you, actually."

"Really?"

Nadia took another sip and nodded. "Yeah, I just…I guess I was just worried it would be weird or something, but still, it was weird that you weren't there, too."

"I'm really happy for you guys," Lauren noted. "I'd love to meet her one day, if she's comfortable with that."

"I'd actually like to meet Bo, too," Nadia commented. "I just…we know each other so well, it's crazy to me that I haven't already met her, you know?"

"I know," Lauren answered. And she did – Nadia had been an integral part of her life for years. They had come out together. It did seem insane that Nadia didn't know Bo, as strange as that might seem. "So," Lauren said with a slight smile, "are you about to hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet?"

Nadia, who was taking a sip, nearly choked, and Lauren started laughing as she sputtered. "We've been married a month. Let's all settle down."

* * *

Nadia and Lauren spent the next few hours talking, drinking, laughing, and catching up. Lauren finally glanced down at her watch and noted the hour, remembering that she had told Bo she would call. "Hey, I should probably be getting back," she said to Nadia.

"To call Bo?" Nadia asked with a grin.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Come on, like you aren't going to call Stacey as soon as I leave."

Nadia laughed. "I'm actually supposed to meet some other people soon. I'm not going to call her until later."

Lauren grabbed her purse and stood up, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in her head as she did so. She definitely needed a cab – walking back, alone, in the dark, with a buzz seemed like a bad idea.

"Come on, I'll walk you to a cab," Nadia commented, as if reading her thoughts. They each grabbed the phones off the table and headed outside.

They walked a block over to find a cab, since Bourbon Street was covered with foot traffic. Nadia hailed one for her, and while it pulled up, Lauren turned to face her.

"This was fun," Nadia commented lightly as the cab coasted to a stop beside them.

"It was," Lauren agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Nadia leaned in and gave Lauren a quick hug. The familiarity made Lauren smile.

They bid their goodbyes and Lauren climbed into the backseat, giving the driver the name of her hotel. She pulled her phone out of her purse and hit the home button, preparing to text Bo.

When she pushed the button, an unfamiliar image came up on the screen – Nadia and a woman Lauren didn't recognize. She was confused for a half second before she realized she'd picked up Nadia's phone by mistake. _Shit._ Now she needed to go track Nadia down, switch the phones, get another cab…she sighed, texting herself from Nadia's phone to alert Nadia of the mistake they had made.

She was halfway through the message when she heard the driver shout a curse, but before she could process what was happening she felt the car lurch, the tires screaming, and the sound of metal twisting, and then…nothing, as the world went black.

* * *

Let me know what you think


	44. Chapter 44

Hey, everyone.

Check out the speed of this update. God, I'm AMAZING. Now it'll probably be a month before you hear from me again lol.

This is a super chill and lighthearted chapter, as are most things that begin with the word "blood," so, you know, have fun with that.

Alright, now, huddle up because we need to talk about something, and that "something" is actually a "someone" because women aren't objects, you sexist pig. ANYWAY - let's talk about lynedele77.

People - let me tell you something here, in all seriousness - lynedele77 is THE SHIT. I mean, it's nuts. Have you read Fae to Fae? You should, because OH MY GOD, people, it's amazing. Also, she's just a really awesome person (but for the love of God don't tell her I said that - just keep it between us, alright? Be cool, damn).

Lynedele and I are working on a collaboration - well, I should say, she's working, and I'm trying to annoy her. And it's TOTALLY working. In the last group of reviews, someone asked to see a sort of journal of how we work together. So, just for you, dear reviewer, I'm not going to post an actual transcript of a conversation we had the other day. This is 100% real - we were talking about this story, though, not the collaboration. For some quick background, I've been super interested in the idea of adding random animals, particularly bears and parakeets, into the story just to confuse everyone. I was trying to think of a last name for Nadia, and I asked her for the Latin name for bear (I ended up using Rumel...bonus points for anyone who figures out why I picked that name lol). Anyway, here's the conversation that happened:

rightersblock: that makes me happy lol

Lynedele77: lol, I know. It's not Ursa, or Ursus, we're good.

rb: Ursa though...

L77: No.

rb: Maybe I'll change it.

L77: No.

rb: IMMA CHANGE IT.

L77: No.

rb: DONE.

L77: Fuck. I lost her. The readers...they have no idea...none.

rb: MAYBE NADIA RAISES PARAKEETS

L77: She's a fucking doctor, Kristen, Jesus fucking Christ

Again, that is 100% real. So, that's kind of how we work together lol

Enjoy!

* * *

Blood. That was the first thing that registered with Nadia as she ran toward the overturned cab. Blood. Blood on the street. Blood on the broken windows. Blood on the twisted metal of the doors. Blood. Too much blood. Blood everywhere.

The car had come seemingly out of nowhere, ramming into the side of the cab as it was moving through the intersection. The force had sent the cab into a skid, flipping over onto the street, finally coming to a rest upside down near the sidewalk.

Nadia's heart was jackhammering in her chest as she sprinted to the vehicle. She had seen the whole thing – just after Lauren closed the cab door, she had pulled out what she thought was her phone, planning to text Stacey, and realized she had the wrong one. She had looked up, hoping the cab would be close enough for her to flag it down again, when it was hit.

At the sight of the blood, Nadia felt a haze at the corners of her vision. Blood. _Lauren's_ blood. She felt like she was going to be sick. _FOCUS_ her brain shouted. She sucked in a breath of cold air and forced herself to snap into clinical mode, assessing what was happening as a medical professional, disassociating from the emotional element of the situation.

She needed to get to the people inside the car to assess the damage. That was step one. She moved toward the back window, near where Lauren should have been sitting, careful not to touch anything for fear that it would jostle the car. Depending on the injuries inside, movement could prove fatal; she needed to be cautious until she had a better read on the situation.

"Can anyone hear me?" she shouted into the broken glass.

She heard low groaning inside, coming from the front of the vehicle. The driver was alive, she could gather that much. She listened another second and didn't hear anything more. _Come on, Lauren, fucking talk to me_.

"We're going to get you some help, don't move," she shouted. She heard the driver continue to moan, and felt her adrenaline spike as she continued to note silence from the back seat.

She hit the button to wake Lauren's phone, which was still in her hand, and cursed herself when she realized she didn't know the code. _Fuck._ She started swiping with her thumb, her hands shaking, as she tried to pull up the emergency call feature. Why wasn't her brain functioning? Why couldn't she do this? Her whole body was practically vibrating now and she struggled with motor function.

"I called an ambulance," a voice beside her said, startling her. She looked up and became aware that a few people had gathered, also trying to help.

She looked back at the car. _Blood._ Fuck, she had to get her head straight, she couldn't help Lauren like this. But there was so much blood, too much blood…was Lauren losing that much blood? In the distance, she heard the faint wailing of a siren but it wasn't moving fast enough. There were so many people blocking a path to the overturned vehicle. If they paramedics didn't get Lauren out quickly, she could possibly bleed out. Nadia's face turned ghostly at the thought. .

"Hey, are you alright?" the voice beside her asked. "You look pale."

She glanced back. "Yeah," she answered, her voice shaking. "Yeah…" _Fucking hell, Lauren, TALK TO ME. Why aren't you saying anything? A groan, a word, fucking SOMETHING._

"Lauren?" she shouted into the car. "Come on, Lauren, say something to me."

She was met with only silence from within the car as the ambulance pulled up beside them, the blood red lights splashing over them and mingling with the red on the spider webbed windows.

* * *

Nadia sat in the hard plastic chair in the E.R. waiting room, feeling her body shaking slightly. She looked at her hands, at the way her veins looked bluish-green under the harsh florescent lights. The air smelled acidic, like antiseptic and carpet, and it seemed like there was always a low hum of noise, even though everything seemed far away.

In her left hand, she still held Lauren's phone in a vice-like grip. She vaguely realized that her phone was probably gone, shattered in the accident, and in the next second she berated herself for thinking about that right now. She felt so…lost. Adrift. Nothing felt real.

Her mind echoed back to seeing Lauren pulled out of the wreckage, to her limp body, stained red, as her back and neck were stabilized and she was pushed into an ambulance. She had looked…vacant. Empty, like a shell that had been discarded in the ocean. Nadia hadn't been able to look at her directly, which was crazy – she was a fucking _doctor_. But this…it was Lauren. Lauren, unmoving, covered in blood, her clothing torn, her body limp…

Fuck, had she just seen Lauren die?

She needed to do…something. Anything. She needed to be active. But what was there to do? Part of her thought about forcing her way back to see what was happening with Lauren – she was a doctor, after all. But she was also smart enough to know that that would be a mistake. She was clearly in no frame of mind to deal with anything medical, and anyway, dealing with someone who was close to her violated about forty different rules of ethics and professional conduct.

 _Bo_ , her mind said. She needed to call Bo. But how to do that? She looked back at the phone sitting useless in her hands. Without the damn passcode, it was worthless.

Alright, that was what she could do. She could figure out the passcode.

She took a shaking sigh and started to think. The first guess was obviously her birthday, even though Nadia assumed that was too obvious. She typed in the numbers and the phone alerted her that she was wrong.

Next she tried the year they graduated from medical school. Wrong.

Alright, maybe the year she graduated from undergrad? Wrong.

High school? Sure, it was ridiculous, but you never knew. Wrong.

Maybe the day she moved to start her new job? Wrong.

The date of their first shift at the hospital after graduation? Wrong.

A message displayed on the screen that the phone was disabled, and she could try again in one minute.

With a deep sigh, Nadia sagged back in the chair. This was hopeless, and she knew it. In reality the code probably had something to do with Bo, and she didn't know enough about Bo to make an educated guess. She didn't know what date they first got together, or when Bo's birthday was, or any other significant details.

She turned her attention to the television that was hanging on the wall, watching CNN announce the news as if nothing was happening, as if the world still made sense.

A few minutes later she felt the phone buzz in her hand. She looked down and saw the name "Bo" on the screen, followed by a text message that said _hey, baby, just wanted to see how you were doing. Love you._

Nadia was seized by the desire to cry. Why was she so goddamned helpless? The screen darkened, and she looked around the room. She wanted Stacey to be here, and as soon as she thought it, she was disgusted with herself. She wanted comfort when she should be taking care of Lauren, when she should be getting Bo here. Fuck, she _had_ to figure out this code.

She looked back down at her hands and noticed that her pants had brownish stains on the thighs and knees, saw the shallow cuts on her hands. It was from the broken glass, she realized. She'd kneeled in it, and pressed her hands into the ground when she was trying to see into the car. The blood was hers, and probably Lauren's also.

With shaking fingers she lifted the phone again, preparing to try new passcodes. Her fingers hovered over the numbers. What should she guess? She racked her memory, trying to remember _something_ about Bo, something that would be a clue.

She punched in the date that she and Lauren had broken up. Wrong.

Fuck, this was hopeless. Maybe she should just type every goddamn date she could think of, every fucking number combination. In frustration, she typed the "1029." Wrong.

Alright, tomorrow's date – 1030. Wrong.

Saturday – 1031. The phone unlocked.

Nadia froze. Wait – what? It had worked. She had the code.

Frantically, she pulled up Bo's number and told the phone to call.

"Hey, baby," a warm voice answered.

"Um, hey…" she said uncertainly.

She heard the hesitation on the line. "Hello? Who is this?" Bo's voice sounded confused.

"This is Nadia Rumel."

"Oh…hi?" Bo responded, uncertainly.

"I was just…um…Lauren is…there was an accident…"

"...what?"

Nadia took a breath, trying to steady herself. "Lauren and I went out for a drink, to catch up, and she got in a cab to go back to the hotel, and…there was an accident. She was in an accident."

"What do you mean…is she okay? What's going on?" Bo's voice was quick and alarmed.

"I, uh…I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"She just…I don't know. I think…maybe you should come."

Nadia could hear Bo's rapid breathing through the phone, and the sound of her moving around quickly. "Okay, what…where are you? Where is she?"

Nadia looked around the room until her eyes landed on the name of the hospital. She communicated it to Bo. "I can text it to you, if you want."

"Yeah, that would be good. Have you seen her? Can you tell her I'm coming?" Bo's tone was desperate, and Nadia felt her entire body tense. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell Bo the reality of Lauren's possible condition either – especially being Nadia didn't _know_ the reality of Lauren's injuries.

"I'll, um…when I see her, I'll let her know."

There was a half second's pause. "You haven't seen her?"

"Not since they…no, no I haven't. Not yet."

"But she's…she's going to be okay, right? I mean, she's fine. She has to be fine."

Nadia looked back down at Lauren's blood on her clothes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure she'll be fine."

* * *

Bo was frantic. Fuck, she needed to…what did she need to do? She needed to get out of here. She needed a flight. She needed to get to New Orleans fucking _yesterday_. She sprinted into the bedroom and nearly tripped over Zeus. Fuck, Zeus, someone needed to take care of Zeus…

She quickly dialed Kenzi while she ripped a duffle bag out of the bag of the closet and started throwing things into it.

"What up, BoBo," Kenzi's voice answered brightly.

"Kenz, I need you to take care of Zeus. I'm leaving the key under the mat."

At the sound of her voice, Kenzi calmed considerably. "What's wrong?"

"I don't…fuck, where are my shoes? I don't know, Lauren was in an accident, I have to go."

"Shit, is she okay?"

"I don't know, I don't…I have to get out of here, I have to go."

"Yeah, okay, I'll take care of Zeus, don't worry about him. What else do you need? What can we do?"

Bo drew a shaking breath, her adrenaline pumping. "I don't…I don't know yet. I just…God, I have to go, I have to think…"

"Bo, BO! Breathe, okay? Just breathe. It's going to be fine. You have to calm down."

Bo's heart was beating out of control. "What if it isn't though? What if she isn't okay?"

Kenzi hesitated before answering. "She is. Just breathe."

"I have to…I don't know what I need to pack…shit, I have to go, I have to find a flight…"

"I'm calling you a cab to the airport."

"What? No, I can drive there myself faster."

"You can't drive like this. I'm calling you a cab. I'll call the airport and find you a flight, okay? Just…pack. The cab will be there soon, I swear."

Bo paused for a moment, her blood thrumming through her, her eyes darting around the room as her brain struggled to keep up with her movements. "Kenzi, what if…what if she –"

"She's fine," Kenzi cut her off. "I'm calling you a cab. Breathe. Pack. Call me when you get to the airport. She's going to be fine."

"I can't lose her."

"You won't."

Tears were streaming down Bo's face as she nodded, trying to force herself to trust Kenzi, to believe what she was saying. _Lauren was going to be fine. She was going to be fine. In a few days, this would just be a bad memory._

She said goodbye to Kenzi and resumed throwing things in her bag, trying to block out the sound of Nadia's frightened and hesitating voice in her head, trying to keep the urge to vomit at bay.

* * *

Bo's plane touched down in New Orleans hours later. As soon as the wheels made contact with the tarmac, Bo powered on her phone and texted Nadia, using Lauren's number.

Bo: _What's happening? Have you seen her yet?_

Nadia: _Not yet._

Bo: _I just landed. I'll be there as soon as I find a cab._

Bo practically ran from the plane, racing out to find a cab on the curb outside. She hadn't checked a bag, so at least she didn't have to wait for that – desperately, she bounced on her feet until she found a car. There was a trashcan near the exit with a painting of a monkey on green bicycle, a large grin on his face. Bo looked at, feeling unexplainable notes of anger and resentment. How could anything be normal at a time like this? How could people be happy right now? She knew she was being irrational, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered. She just needed to get to Lauren. That was all. A cab became available for her and she practically barked the name of the hospital at the driver.

"Every light you run is an extra $20," she told the driver. "I need to be there _now_."

The driver raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing, gunning the engine to carry her to the hospital.

A short time later he pulled up in front of the large building. Bo grabbed a wad of cash and practically threw it at him as she bolted from the car, bursting in to the E.R.

She scanned the room until her eyes landed on a dark haired woman who looked exhausted sagging in a plastic chair. She approached her.

"Nadia?" she asked, uncertainly.

The woman looked up. "You must be Bo," she said, her tone oddly stilted and formal, extending a hand.

Bo shook it limply. "I…yeah. What's going on?" Bo dropped into the seat beside the woman.

"Sorry, I just…" she waved a hand around, "long night."

"Have they said anything?"

Nadia shook her head no. "No one has told me anything. I keep asking, but…nothing yet."

"So…what does that mean?" Bo asked.

Nadia looked at her and sighed. "Honestly? I don't know."

"Would they tell us if she had…if she was…" Bo couldn't bring herself to say the word.

Nadia looked down at her hands, her voice low. "They might not. They would tell her next of kin first. They wouldn't…no, they probably wouldn't."

"She's alive," Bo said, her voice barely above a whisper, and cracking. "She…she is. She has to be."

Nadia nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Bo sat straight, her legs bouncing rapidly as her eyes darted around. She couldn't be still. She needed to do something. She had never been good at waiting, and right now…there had to be something to do, something she could work on. She pushed herself up from the chair and walked over to the desk at the front of E.R.

"Hi, my name is Bo Dennis, I'm here to check the condition of Lauren Lewis?"

The receptionist looked up at her. "Are you family?"

"I…yes, yeah, I'm…yeah."

The receptionist gave her a sideways look. "And you are?"

"I'm her…um…"

The receptionist gave her small, weak smile. "I'm sorry, I can't release any information to anyone who isn't family."

"She's my girlfriend," Bo answered. "She would let you release information to me. You can ask her…please, just…is she okay? You don't have to tell me anything specific, just… _please._ " Bo felt the tears gathering in her eyes, and she angry tried to force them back.

The receptionist looked truly saddened for her. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Honestly, I am. But I can't release any information to you."

Bo stood, trying to think of something she could say, something that would persuade this woman to tell her _something_. She talked and argued for a living, she should be able to do this. Words failed her, however, and a moment later the phone at the desk rang and the woman's attention was gone.

Bo walked back over to Nadia, resting her elbows on her knees and dropping her head into her hands. She felt a hand tentatively touch her back and she jumped involuntarily. Nadia jumped her at her alarmed reaction, her hand still hovering near Bo.

"Sorry," she said. "I just…"

Bo sighed. "Yeah. I know."

Nadia dropped her hands back to her lap. "I've never felt this goddamned helpless in a hospital before," she sighed.

Bo nodded. "Do you know what happened to anyone else? To the person who hit her?"

Nadia shook her head no. "Honestly, I was so focused on Lauren…I have no idea."

"I'm going to kill him, whoever he was. Whoever it was that hit her…I'm going to make sure he goes to prison if he survives this."

Nadia nodded, the deep circles under her eyes showing her exhaustion. "She's lucky to have you, you know," she commented.

Bo turned to her, taken off-guard by the comment.

Nadia glanced at her and waved her hand. "Sorry, I just…I don't know where that came from. It's been a…well, you know. Sorry."

Bo slumped back against the back of the chair, bringing her more even with Nadia. "I should have been here, I should have protected her," she mumbled.

"If I had just asked her to have one more drink, or if I had just told her to leave a drink sooner…"

"This isn't your fault," Bo noted.

"It isn't yours, either."

Bo sighed deeply, the exhaustion of the last hour seeping into her bones. "I just…God, I love her so much. I need her to be…I just…" she dropped her face into her hands, leaning forward again as the tears leaked through her fingers.

Nadia's hand returned to Bo's back. "I know. She loves you, too. It's going to be okay."

* * *

Hours passed. To Bo and Nadia, it felt like days. As they sat in the waiting room they took turns talking, crying, and comforting one another. Bo got up and got them coffee, then Nadia took a turn, then Bo took another. They talked about Lauren, about Stacey, about medical school, about law school, about everything they could think of. They made jokes that fell flat, and laughed at things that weren't actually funny. They commented on the news, still playing on the TV in the corner, making fun of the acting on the commercials.

"Can't you force them to show you a chart or something? You're a doctor," Bo commented.

"You're a lawyer, can't you force them to turn over records?"

"Not without a subpoena."

"Can you get one?"

"No."

Nadia sighed, rubbing her hands down her face.

Bo thought for a moment. "You know, whatever's going on, there's a chance she isn't in the E.R. anymore…"

Nadia glanced at her. "What are you thinking?"

Bo was quiet for another moment, and then stood up, walking out toward the main part of the hospital. Nadia trailed after her.

Bo walked to front desk at the main entrance and smiled at the young man working at the desk. "Hi," she said, sweetly.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm here to see a friend of mine, but I forgot to write down her room number. Can you tell me what room Lauren Lewis is in?"

The young man nodded, typing into the computer that was in front of him. "It looks like Ms. Lewis is in…she's currently in the ICU."

Bo's heart clenched, but she forced her face to remain neutral. "Oh, I had been told she had been moved to a regular room already. Do you know what time that's supposed to happen so I can come back to visit her?"

The young man looked at Bo uncertainly, but at the smoothness of Bo's delivery, turned back to the screen. "It looks like she's slated to be moved in a few hours. They're waiting for a bed to be available."

Bo nearly sobbed with relief, but still fought to keep her emotions from her face. "Great. So, I'll just come back then," she replied, and with that she turned and walked back toward Nadia.

When they were out of earshot of the desk, having turned a corner, Bo sagged against the wall, tears pouring down her face. "She's alive…she's alive…she's alive…" she repeated, over and over again.

Nadia thumped against the wall beside her. "Thank God," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes as well.

* * *

A while later, Bo and Nadia returned to the main reception desk and obtained a room number for Lauren. They then proceeded to make their way to her room, both falling silent as they approached.

Bo wasn't sure what she was expecting see; she knew Lauren had been in a car accident, of course, and since finding out Lauren had survived, Nadia had told her more about how horrific it had been. When they walked in the room, Lauren was asleep, an IV in her arm, machines beeping behind her.

Only her face and arms were visible due to the hospital gown and blankets, but the skin that could be seen was marred by scratches and deep bruises. Lauren's face was drained of all color, an unnatural pale even in the dim light of the hospital room. Seeing her lying there, injured, silent, Bo was seized again by the desire to vomit. Instead, she walked to the bed quietly, entirely forgetting Nadia, and touched Lauren's arm.

It was a gentle touch, not meant to wake her, not meant to do anything more than reassure Bo that Lauren was, in fact, there, that she was solid and not a hallucination. At feeling Lauren's cool skin under her hand, Bo drew a shaking breath.

She heard the sound of something scraping on the floor behind her and turned to see that Nadia had pulled a chair up beside the bed. She left it for Bo and moved to other chair, stationed at the foot of the bed, and sat down.

Bo smiled at her, gratefully, and sat beside Lauren, never removing her hand from her arm. Lauren sighed slightly in her sleep, her face contorting to a slight grimace even as she rested, and Bo wanted to cry, to take the pain from her, to do _something_ – but there was nothing to do. For now, Lauren was alive, and that was enough.

* * *

Thoughts are always appreciated. Also, give Lynedele77 some love, she has a lot to put up with lol


	45. Chapter 45

What's up, people. So, it's been a while since I updated. Insert generalized excuses here.

But, people, there is something serious I need to talk to you about, something that will seriously change everything for all of us - and, yes, you guessed it, it's lynedele77. PEOPLE. Have you READ her story, Fae to Fae, available just a few short keystrokes from this very page? I mean, no joke, it is SO GOOD. I haven't been updating because I've been sitting in a dark room just reading Fae to Fae over and over and over again while painting a portrait of lynedele77 using only the powder flavor packets from Kraft macaroni and cheese. But not in a creepy way, in a totally cool way. Also, unrelated, if anyone has any tips on how to get rid of ants, I have so, so many in my house right now.

Speaking of lynedele77, she and I are still planning to do a collaboration - we have a pen name and title and title and everything. Basically it's going to be the story of how Bo and Lauren would survive a post-apocalyptic world inhabited only by mutant geese and Elvis Costello impersonators. Or it could be something else entirely. I guess you'll have to read and find out. No, I'm not telling you the pen name or the story title. I want to be mysterious. Maybe the story is on the site right now...maybe everyone knows about it but you, and you're just missing out...MAYBE IT'S FAE TO FAE AND LYNEDELE77 IS JUST SOMEONE I MADE UP...

Oh, also, this chapter almost didn't get posted. In fact, as I type this, I'm still debating. So, if you like it, you have lynedele77 to thank, because she threatened to stab me in the face with a sharpened soup spoon if I didn't post. She's such a caring person. High five, lynedele77.

Enjoy.

* * *

 _Ouch_. That was the first thought through Bo's mind as she woke up in Lauren's hospital room; the muscles in her neck and lower back were tight, sore and clenched from sleeping while sitting in the plastic chair, her upper body bent forward against Lauren's hospital bed.

She sat up, gingerly, feeling her body react as she did so. She was too old to sleep this way. She began rolling her shoulders, rotating her head, trying to work out the stiff knots and kinks that had settled within her.

She took a deep breath and looked at Lauren, finding her still asleep, her face turned slight to the side, aimed at where Bo had been sleeping.

"Hey, baby," Bo whispered, careful not to be loud enough to wake Lauren. She glanced down to the foot of the bed and saw Nadia, also asleep in her chair, her jacket laid across her chest like a makeshift blanket.

She turned back to look at Lauren, careful not to wake anyone in the room. "You don't get to scare me like that again, okay?" she whispered. "When you wake up, you're going to promise me that this is never going to happen again."

Bo reached her hand up, ghosting her fingers against Lauren's hair lightly, barely moving the strands. "You have to stay safe, and healthy, and unhurt…you can't let anything happen to you, alright? Nothing, because if something happened to you, I couldn't…I wouldn't…you just have to be safe, alright?"

Lauren remained still in her sleep, unmoving, and Bo brought her hand back down to rest on Lauren's forearm. "You don't get to leave me. You don't get to die. Do you understand? You have to stay healthy, strong…you have to stay with me. You can't let yourself get hurt."

Bo stared at Lauren for a few moments, watching her chest moving subtly with her breath, watching the slight flutter of her eyelids, indicating that she was likely dreaming. "We belong with each other, okay? You're _stuck_ with me. Do you understand? You don't get to do this. It's going to take more than a car accident to take you away from me. Okay? You _can't_ leave me."

She felt herself break, tears leaking down her cheek. She reached her free hand up to wipe the droplets away. "I love you, and you don't get to leave me, okay? You just don't. Whatever happens you wake up, whatever they tell us…you don't get to leave me. You're going to be _fine_ , okay? That's all – you're going to be fine, and we're going to go home, to _our_ home, and we're going to play with Zeus, and we're going to forget that this ever happened, because this is just a blip on the radar, alright? This is nothing. This is a bad memory that we'll vaguely recall when we're old."

Lauren sighed slightly in her sleep, shifting and wincing barely perceptibly as she did so, and Bo felt her heart ache. "I hate that you're in pain right now. I wish I could take it away, but I can't." The tears continued to fall from her eyes, and this time she didn't bother to wipe them away. "I hate that I'm so goddamn helpless right now."

There was no response from Lauren, who continued to sleep silently. Bo sighed and leaned forward again, ignoring the protests from her back as she laid her face down against Lauren's forearm, searching for the smell of clean cotton her skin beneath the smells of antiseptic, of rough blankets, of thin hospital gowns and plastic IV tubing. The smell came to her, slightly, vaguely, and she inhaled it greedily, letting it lull her softly back to restless sleep.

* * *

 _Thirsty_. That was the first word that came to Lauren's mind as she felt herself waking up. She shifted slightly and heard a soft crinkling sound as she did so.

 _Ouch_. That was the second word that came to Lauren's mind as her body screamed in protest to her motion. Everything seemed to hurt. There was a dull ache extending over the length of her entire body, and she sucked in a sharp intake of breath when she shifted her arm, and IV line tugging sharply. She forced her eyes open.

 _Hospital_. She could heard the beeping of heart monitor, could make out the low thrum of speech coming from the nurses in the hallway. Alright, so she was in a hospital bed. Why? Where was she?

A mass of dark hair at her side drew her eye, and she looked down to see someone resting against her arm, fast asleep. Bo – her left arm was curled under her, supporting her head and neck, and her right was resting on Lauren's forearm, her fingers curled slightly to prevent the hand from falling.

What was going on? Where _was_ she? She took a deep breath, trying to make her memory clear, as she glanced around the room for something to jog her memory. As she did so, her eyes caught on a second person seated in a chair at the foot of the bed, also asleep, a coat draped over her, falling off to the side.

 _Nadia?_

Confused, Lauren looked at Nadia for a few moments, willing herself to remember. Nadia…Nadia…Nadia…she tried to remember something about this. Had she been with Nadia?

How had Lauren ended up here, in a hospital bed? Why did everything hurt? She glanced to the window and noted that it was faintly light outside. What time was it, morning or evening? What day was it?

She felt frustrated, tired, and sore. She glanced at the IV line and saw the clear drip in it. She knew it was likely connected to painkillers, but given her level of pain, they either weren't working or weren't being administered. She sighed slightly, trying to move just a little as she took inventory of her sore muscles.

She tried to hold back the whimper that came to her throat at her motion. Feeling defeated, she glanced back at Nadia, who was stirring slightly. As Lauren looked at her, Nadia's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey," Lauren rasped out, keeping her voice low to avoid waking Bo.

At seeing her eyes open, Nadia startled slightly and stood up, walking up beside Lauren opposite the sleeping Bo. "Hey," Nadia whispered back, resting a hand on Lauren's shoulder lightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Lauren answered, wincing slightly. Her voice was hoarse and her throat was sore. "What happened? Where am I?"

Nadia moved her fingers slightly to rub Lauren's shoulder reassuringly. "What's the last thing that you remember?"

Lauren closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think. She sighed deeply. "I don't know," she mumbled. "Everything hurts."

Motion on her other side got her attention as Bo stirred at the sound of her voice, sitting up. Lauren turned her head slightly, her eyes falling closed another moment as the muscles in her neck clenched with the motion.

She felt soft fingers trailing down the side of her face as she opened her eyes, and immediately saw Bo, her face flushed with sleep, her eyes concerned. "Hey, baby," she whispered to Lauren.

"What's going on?" Lauren asked.

Bo gave her a slight smile, her eyes slightly watering. "You're okay," Bo answered. "You're going to be okay."

"Where am I?"

"New Orleans."

"New Orleans? Why am I in New Orleans?"

Bo looked at her for a moment and then glanced over at Nadia, as if looking for guidance on how to proceed.

"What's the last thing you remember, Lauren?" Nadia asked.

Lauren thought back for a moment. "The last thing I remember…New Orleans…I had a medical conference. I was asked to go to the conference because Dr. Myer couldn't for some reason."

Nadia nodded and glanced at Bo.

"Wednesday," Bo supplied. "Is that normal?"

"Is what normal? What day is it?"

"Halloween," Bo answered. "Saturday."

" _Saturday?_ What the hell happened?" Lauren sat up slightly straighter and immediately regretted it. "Ouch," she moaned slightly.

Bo laid her hand on Lauren's shoulder, as if the touch could ease Lauren's pain. "You were in a car accident," Bo answered.

"You and I went for drinks," Nadia contributed. "You were heading back to the hotel and your cab was hit."

"When did that happen?"

"Thursday night, so that was…" Nadia looked her watch, "about thirty-two hours ago?"

"Thirty-two hours…" Lauren repeated, slowly.

Bo absentmindedly ran her hand down Lauren's arm. "How do you feel? Are you okay?" her voice was thick with concern.

Lauren gave Bo a small smile, touched by the care in her voice. "I think I'm okay. I just feel like I was hit by a bus."

"It was just a car, don't be dramatic," Bo said, a slight smile on her face.

Lauren couldn't stop the light laughter that bubbled up from her as the tension in the room broke slightly. Quiet tears were running down Bo's face as she leaned forward, bringing her face down to kiss the back of Lauren's hand on the bed.

"So, what happened?" Lauren asked, glancing at Nadia. "After the car accident – what's going on?"

Nadia shrugged slightly. "We don't know, honestly – they haven't told us anything. But you're in a regular room now, so that's a good sign."

"Mmm," Lauren hummed. She looked back at Bo, who was holding Lauren's hand in both of hers, looking at her intently.

Nadia cleared her throat softly. "Um, I think I'm going to go get some coffee – you guys could probably use some, too, yeah?"

Lauren came out of her trance slightly and gave Nadia a small smile, grateful to her for finding an excuse to give her time alone with Bo. "Thanks," she said.

Nadia nodded, giving Lauren a gentle touch on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

"Hey," Lauren said, softly, when Nadia had left the room.

"Hey," Bo answered, her voice cracking slightly. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"

Lauren nodded and immediately winced, stilling her movements.

Bo stood up and leaned over Lauren, kissing her gently on the lips. Lauren responded under her, and she could feel Bo's tears dampening her face as Bo gently cupped Lauren's cheeks. Bo broke the kiss a few moments later, moving to kiss Lauren's forehead, then her eyelids, then her cheeks, then back to her lips to kiss her one more time.

When Bo pulled back slightly she looked at Lauren, staring deeply into her eyes. "God, you scared me," she whispered.

Lauren reached her arm up, ignoring the protest of her muscles as she pushed a piece of loose hair behind Bo's ear. "Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to."

Bo laughed slightly, standing up straighter and swiping the tears from her cheeks. "So, you don't remember anything after Wednesday?"

"No, I don't think so," Lauren answered. "It will probably come back to me."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Did I miss anything important?" Lauren asked.

"You promised to come to my office naked," Bo answered. Lauren rolled her eyes, and Bo laughed lightly.

They were quiet for a few moments before Lauren spoke again. "Where's Zeus?"

"Kenzi has him. I called her when Nadia called me."

"Nadia called you?"

Bo nodded. "Yeah, she saw the accident, and she called me after they got you here."

Lauren was confused for a moment. "How did she call you?"

"She had your phone," Bo answered. "You two must have switched them accidently when you had drinks. Once she figured out your passcode she called me and I came." Bo touched Lauren's hair again, smoothing the strands. "It was a weird way to meet your ex," Bo commented with a smile.

Lauren chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I guess it would be. Sorry about that."

"I'll try to forgive you," Bo teased with a smile.

Bo and Lauren sat quietly for a bit, looking at one another as Bo continued to stroke Lauren's arm, smooth her hair, run the back of her index finger across Lauren's cheek.

"Happy Halloween," Lauren said, gently, after a few minutes of silence.

Bo smiled. "Happy Halloween."

"We seem to end up at one of our places of employment every Halloween," Lauren commented with a smile.

A laugh came from Bo's chest. "Yeah, I guess we kind of do." She lifted Lauren's hand and kissed the back of it again. "I think I like us ending up at my office better," she commented. "Of course, I guess last year had its drawbacks, too. I mean, I wasn't even single last year."

"You aren't single this year," Lauren quipped.

Bo laughed silently and nodded. "Yeah, you're right, I'm not." She looked back into Lauren's eyes. "I don't think I've ever been that scared," she commented. "All I could think was…I just hate that you were alone when it happened, and I was here with Nadia, and I kept thinking…God, I don't know, what if you needed blood, or a kidney, or…I don't know, whatever else someone might need when they've been in a car accident? What if you were awake, and you were scared, and you didn't know I was here? Or what if, I don't know, what if you had some kind of crazy amnesia, and you forgot me?"

"I couldn't forget you, Bo," Lauren answered, calmly.

"But you _could_ have," Bo pressed. "What if you had some kind of crazy head injury and you forgot everything?"

Lauren reached up and gripped the front of Bo's shirt, pulling her down into a deep kiss. After a few moments, they pulled away breathless. "I couldn't forget you. I don't care what crazy injury could have happened – I couldn't forget you."

The tears were falling from Bo's eyes again, and she pushed them away quickly. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's…been a long night."

Lauren nodded and wiped the last of the tears away with the pad of her thumb before pulling Bo back down, her lips opening slightly under Bo's, and sighing as she felt Bo's tongue. As she kissed Bo she vaguely noticed that the pain in her body faded, that the ache that had settled over her had lessened. Bo curled her fingers around the sides of Lauren's face, careful to avoid any of the shallow cuts that rested there.

Bo's heart was thudding in her chest, the adrenaline from the last two days making her feel erratic, jittery, on edge. She continued to kiss Lauren and felt her mind struggling to process the fact that she was kissing Lauren, that Lauren was _here_ , alive, safe, and not a dream. She pushed her tongue harder against Lauren, as if to reassure herself that his wasn't a dream, this wasn't a mirage. This was real. Lauren was real. And everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Your feedback is always welcome


	46. Chapter 46

Hello, everyone. How are we doing today?

Have I talked to you about lynedele77? No? Well, let me tell you, she is AMAZING. Like, it's so crazy, people. AMAZING. Have you read Fae to Fae? Yes? Well, read it again. IT'S THAT GOOD. Also, she posts updates, which is great lol.

Hope everyone has fun with this one - I'm going to be away next week, so these lightning quick updates might slow down. I know everyone is having a hard time keeping up with my one chapter a month pace right now lol

Enjoy!

* * *

"I need a shower." Bo jumped startled by Lauren's voice. Lauren glanced over at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she commented, a light smile playing across her features. "I didn't realize you had gone to sleep."

Bo rubbed her left hand across her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose slightly as she shook of the remnants of sleep. "No, it's fine, I'm awake," she answered.

Lauren chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I can see that."

Bo stretched slightly and glanced over at Lauren. "Are you allowed to take a shower?"

"As long I keep the incision relatively dry," Lauren responded.

"Isn't that going to be hard? Your incision is on your stomach."

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'll just be careful. I can't wait for it heal before I shower – I'll smell like a landfill."

"Okay. Are you sure we shouldn't check with a doctor first?"

"I _am_ a doctor," Lauren replied, with a smile and eye roll.

"Yeah, but you're a terrible patient. So maybe get another opinion on this."

"I'll have you know I'm an _excellent_ patient," Lauren said, sitting up in bed. Upon doing so, she froze, her face contorting in pain as her body responded to the motion. She sucked a sharp intake of breath, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Uh huh," Bo nodded. "Yeah, you're right, you're totally fine. I'm going to find a doctor or a nurse, alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied through clenched teeth, her eyes closed against the pain that was slowly beginning to ebb.

"I can see that," Bo smiled, echoing Lauren's earlier comment.

Lauren opened her eyes and gave Bo a withering look. "You're hilarious," she commented, dryly.

Bo stood up and gave Lauren a quick kiss on the forehead. "I know I am," Bo answered as she turned toward the hall to find a nurse.

A few minutes later Bo returned with a nurse. Lauren sighed deeply, looking at Bo. "I'm fine," she repeated. "You don't need to bother the nurse."

Bo glanced at the nurse. "See what I mean?" she commented.

The nursed nodded and smiled. "Yeah, doctors are the worst patients."

"You two know I can hear you, right?" Lauren asked, her voice grumpy.

The nurse chuckled. "Alright, so you're right, you can take a shower as long as you're careful about keeping the incision dry. Also, you're going to be sore after moving, but we recommend that you get up and walk around a bit. When you're done we can give you some more pain meds if you need them."

"I know all this," Lauren groaned. "Bo, seriously, it's a splenectomy. I know the recovery information."

"It was an _emergency_ splenectomy," Bo corrected.

"Doesn't matter," Lauren replied with a wave of her hand.

"Actually, it does," the nurse commented.

"Ha," Bo said, looking triumphant.

Lauren sighed deeply. "Alright. Fine. It was an open procedure – that's more significant. But it was still just a splenectomy. In a few days I'll be fine."

"A few weeks," Bo corrected.

"Six, to be exact," the nurse added.

Lauren groaned. "Can I just get a shower, please?"

"I should probably get you some shampoo and stuff," Bo noted.

Lauren nodded, trying to hide the look of pain on her face as she shifted in the bed.

"Maybe you should take the few minutes I'm gone to take some painkillers?" Bo suggested.

"I'm fine," Lauren answered through gritted teeth.

"You know, you don't get a special prize for being in extra pain."

"I don't like pain killers. I can't focus when I take them."

"Counterargument? You're sitting in a hospital. What do you need to focus on?"

"I just want a shower," Lauren whimpered imploringly.

Bo walked back over to Lauren, took her face in her hands, and kissed her. "Alright. I'll go. If you're good, maybe I'll bring you a toothbrush, too."

"That would be nice," Lauren smiled.

* * *

Bo returned a short time later with a bag from a local drugstore. When she walked back into Lauren's room, she found Lauren grimacing in pain, sitting perfectly still. Bo dropped the bag onto the chair she had vacated earlier and hurried to Lauren's side.

"What? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly, placing a hand on Lauren's shoulder as if her touch would relieve the pain.

"Yeah," Lauren ground out. "I just…tried to get up. I'm okay."

"You're clearly not okay…"

Lauren drew a deep breath. "I just need to get up. It'll be fine." She shifted again, trying to turn her body to climb out of the bed, and froze with pain.

"Alright, enough. You need help," Bo said, reaching down to move the blankets off Lauren's legs.

"I'm fine," Lauren answered weakly.

"Come on, I'm going to help you," Bo continued, ignoring Lauren's protest. Bo placed a hand on Lauren's lower back, holding Lauren's hand with her other. "Alright, how do you want to do this?"

Lauren sighed. "I just…it hurts when I bend. Or move. Or breathe."

"Okay, so we'll avoid all of that," Bo said with a smile.

Lauren looked at Bo with defeated eyes. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this right now," she admitted.

"I'll help you," Bo replied, softly.

"No, I mean…I don't know that I can move the way I need to so I can wash my hair, or –"

Bo cut Lauren off. "I said I'll help you. I can wash your hair. Come on."

Lauren sat still for a moment, looking at Bo. "You would do that?"

Bo glanced up into Lauren's eyes. "What do you mean 'would I do that'? I love you. Of course I will."

Lauren turned her eyes away as she felt tears gathering behind them. She swallowed, trying to push away the motion that was bubbling up in her throat.

Bo used her finger to gently lift Lauren's face back to look at her. "I will use any excuse to see you naked."

Lauren couldn't stop the laugh that came from her, breaking the tension, as a tear escaped down her face.

* * *

Bo and Lauren took their time in the shower, making sure to keep Lauren's incision as dry as possible. Bo tried to ignore the cuts and bruises marring Lauren's skin, but she found her eyes drawn back to them time and again, wincing on Lauren's behalf each time.

Once the water had been turned off, Bo helped Lauren step out of the shower and retrieved the paper thin towel to begin drying Lauren off.

"This is so pathetic," Lauren groaned as Bo dried her.

Bo, standing behind Lauren, dropped a kiss to her shoulder, near her neck. "Shhh," she said. She grabbed a new hospital gown and draped it around Lauren.

"I really wish I had clothes here," Lauren sighed.

"I could go back to your hotel room and get you pajamas?" Bo offered.

"Good thought, but I actually have no idea where my room key is. Probably somewhere in that wrecked cab."

"If it helps, your ass looks great in this," Bo supplied with a smile, running her fingers through Lauren's hair to dispel any knots.

"I'm sure," Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

Bo stepped around so she was in front of Lauren, facing her, and gently put her hands on Lauren's cheeks. "You're alive, and you're okay. That alone makes you look perfect." She kissed Lauren softly. "Now, come on, let's go get you in bed and get you drugged up."

Lauren laughed lightly, letting Bo lead her out of the bathroom.

"This is a right shithole," a voice said as they reentered the room. "Lo, did you know this hospital doesn't even have a _bar_ in it?"

"Vex?" Lauren said in confusion, looking at Vex who was draped across a chair at the foot of the bed.

"In the flesh, darling," he answered, standing up. "Christ, you look like shit."

"Always so supportive. Thanks for stopping by. Sorry you're leaving so soon," Lauren teased.

Vex reached down and grabbed bag he had left on the floor. "Perhaps this will make you want to let me stay," he commented, holding it up.

"What's that?" Bo asked.

"Well, being the supportive, wonderful, dashing friend I am, I took the liberty of going by your apartment and bringing you some things," he answered, offering the bag to Bo.

"You broke into our house?" Lauren asked.

"If you say it like that you lose the beauty of the gesture," Vex defended.

Bo opened the bag and found it to be filled with tee shirts, yoga pants, clean underwear, and other essentials. "Do you want to change?" Bo asked Lauren.

Lauren glanced at her. "Do you even have to ask that?" She looked back at Vex. "Thank you so much. Do you mind waiting outside for a second while I change?"

"Darling, it's nothing I haven't seen before," he said, rolling his eyes.

"So, you want to see me naked?"

Vex thought for a moment. "I'll be outside," he commented. Lauren laughed as he exited the room.

* * *

Once Lauren was changed and settled back in bed, Vex came back in the room, dropping back into the chair at the foot of the bed.

"We probably need to figure out how to get into your hotel room," Bo commented.

Lauren nodded. "If I call the hotel and tell them what happened I'm sure they'll make a new key. The problem is I'm not exactly in a position to go pack."

"One of us can go," Vex supplied. "If you call and tell them we're coming, I'm sure they'd let us in to gather things."

"Yeah, probably." Lauren glanced at Bo. "Would you mind?"

Bo looked conflicted for a moment. "Yeah, I can," she said.

Lauren looked at her, quizzically. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not. Just…Vex, you're going to be here, right?"

Vex glanced at her, a smile playing across his features. "I promise to watch her," he said, trying to keep his face serious.

Bo looked at Lauren, appear as though she wanted to ask a question, but she stayed silent.

Lauren smiled at her slightly. "I promise not to get into a car accident until you get back," Lauren said.

Bo leaned down and gave Lauren a kiss. "Please don't joke about that."

Lauren smiled again. "Okay, I'm sorry," she answered. "I'll call the hotel." Lauren quickly gave Bo the information for the hotel and set her off with one more quick kiss. Once she had gone, Lauren called the hotel and communicated what was happening.

Once everything was settled, Lauren relax back in bed, letting her body recover from moving. She glanced at Vex. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" he asked with a grin. "It's _New Orleans._ "

Lauren nodded and smiled. "Thank you for coming."

He smiled genuinely, warmly. "I'm glad you're okay. My fragile constitution couldn't take it if something really seriously happened to you."

"So, why are you here and not with Dave?" Lauren asked with a grin.

Vex rolled his eyes. "And here I thought we were having a nice moment."

"So, he was busy?"

"He had to work," Vex answered with a nod.

Lauren laughed. "How's that going? How's being in _loooove_?" she sing-songed.

"I notice Bo isn't wearing a ring yet," Vex quipped.

"Withdrawn."

Vex smiled broadly. "No, but in all seriousness…why isn't Bo wearing a ring?"

Lauren looked down at her hands and shrugged slightly. "The time hasn't been right," she said lamely.

"Mm," Vex hummed in his throat. "Why really?"

Lauren looked at him. "Our relationship is fine. We don't need to take that step. Neither of us is ready for that yet."

"Conversely, you bought a ring. So, no. Next argument?"

Lauren sighed slowly, giving no reply.

"Lauren," Vex said, calmly, all joking gone from his voice. "Why haven't you asked her?"

"Because…I don't know," Lauren said, looking down again. "I just haven't."

"What, are you worried she's going to say no?"

"No," Lauren answered, honestly.

"Then what?"

"I'm worried…I guess I'm worried that she'd say yes."

Vex looked at her with a note of confusion.

"I mean…I love Bo. And things with us…we're moving forward. And I know she's committed to me. But marriage…if I asked her to marry me, she'd say yes, because I know she sees a future with me, and I know she'd do…well, anything, I guess, if she thought it would make me happy. I mean, she bought a house for me, we've talked about kids…she'd probably say yes if I asked her."

"Okay…" Vex said. "So…what's the problem?"

"I just…I don't want her to say yes just to make me happy. I don't want to push her toward something she doesn't really want. Marriage…it's different. Right now things are good. I don't have to do anything to secure a future with her, you know? I feel like…I mean, I already have what I want, right? And marriage…I guess I just don't want to risk anything over a piece of jewelry."

Vex nodded. "Okay."

"So, I don't know. I mean, yeah, part of me wants to ask her, but then I think…maybe I don't need that. Ring or no ring, the way we feel about each other won't change, right?"

"So, you aren't going to ask her?"

Lauren shrugged.

Vex sat quietly for a few moments. "That's bullshit."

Lauren looked up, surprised. "What?"

"You bought the ring. You've been thinking about this. It's clearly something you want. It's bullshit that you're thinking about giving it up."

"Vex…"

"No, stop. Listen, I've known Bo a long time. If Rainer had been in a car accident, do you think she would have come here for him?"

"She probably would have –"

Vex put his hand up to stop Lauren. "I'll answer this. No, she wouldn't have. When Nadia called her, she was going crazy, Lauren. She called Kenzi and Kenzi said she was so crazy that she called Bo a cab, because she didn't think Bo could even drive. Think about that. The thought that you might be hurt – she _stopped functioning_. That isn't Bo, at least, that isn't Bo pre-Lauren. She's different with you. So, yeah, if you had asked me a year or two ago if Bo would ever get married, I would say hell no, but with you…" he shook his head. "If you don't want to get married because you don't want it, fine. But if you don't want to ask her because you're afraid of something, that's bullshit."

"It's just…I love her, Vex."

"I know you do."

"And I want her to be happy. I don't know if marriage would make her happy."

"But it would make you happy."

Lauren shrugged. "I don't want her to do it just to make me happy."

Vex was quiet for a moment, nodding. "Have you ever considered that she doesn't want you to do things just to make her happy either?"

Lauren leaned deeper into the thin pillow behind her, sighing. "When did you become the relationship guru?"

"I have loved many," Vex said, his playful grin returning. "I have much knowledge." They were quiet for a few moments, the sounds of the television quietly cutting in in the background. "So, are you going to ask her?" Vex inquired.

Lauren hesitated for a moment. "I don't know."

Vex nodded. "If you had to guess?"

Lauren thought a moment more. "I love her. I want to be with her. But, honestly, I don't know if this is right for her. If I had to guess…no, I don't think I'm going to ask her."

Vex continued to look at her, giving no reply.

"It's just, this car accident…it's given me some perspective, I guess. Being with her is what matters to me. Not jewelry. So, no, I'm not going to ask her. Because, really…I think I have everything I need."

* * *

Let me know what you think


	47. Chapter 47

Hey, everyone. Weren't expecting to see me again so soon, were you? Remember when I used to do these back to back updates often? Good times, good times.

OH MY GOD, PEOPLE, can we just talk about something for a minute? I mean, I think you know what I'm about to say...I've been saying it a lot lately, but, I have to say, it's just crazy, I can't even STOP myself, you know? So, here we go, I'm just going to say it - we're going to talk about it - FERRETS ARE TUBE SHAPED RATS.

Also, lynedele77 is amazing and you should read Fae to Fae again.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Dr. Lewis, how are we feeling today?" The young doctor swept into the room, his eyes focused on the clipboard in his hands.

Lauren pressed her fists into the mattress on either side of her hips, using the leverage to sit up straighter in bed. "I'm fine," she answered, firmly. "Ready to get out of here."

He looked up with a smile. "Well, today is your lucky day," he commented.

"You're discharging her already?" Bo inquired.

He nodded. "All her vitals are normal, there are no signs of infection or issues, we have no reason to keep her here." He looked back down at the clipboard and flipped a page. "We are going to have some discharge instructions for you."

"Of course," Lauren replied, the giddiness at the prospect of leaving evident on her face.

"You know most of this, of course, but we're going to tell you to follow up with your local doctor. Obviously call if you start to experience a high fever or other symptoms of infection. We'll make your surgical records available to the doctor of your choice, but we are recommending that you follow up with a surgeon as well for post-op visits."

Lauren nodded. "Fine, done, not a problem."

"Also, you aren't allowed to drive for the next four weeks. No submerging in water until the incision is fully healed. No flying for six weeks. No heavy lifting, no strenuous activity. Just take it easy, alright?"

The words of the doctor sparked something in Bo, who sat up straighter, but said nothing. Lauren nodded. "Mhmm, sure," she replied.

The doctor stayed a few moments longer, explaining to Lauren her pain medicine prescription, but was soon gone, passing the information to the nurses to process the discharge.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Lauren exclaimed to Bo with a wide grin.

Bo looked at Lauren. "So…no flying for six weeks?"

Lauren shrugged. "I guess we'll rent a car to get home? Do you mind driving me?"

A short laugh burst from Bo. "Yeah, I totally mind. I'm going to fly, you can just take a bus," Bo answered with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, I mean –"

"Hush," Bo said with a light laugh, cutting Lauren off. "Getting home will be fine. I was more thinking…well, no flying for six weeks. That means…"

Lauren was quiet for a moment, and a few seconds later understanding dawned over her. "Shit. The wedding."

Bo nodded. "Yeah."

Lauren sagged back against the inclined bed slightly. "Well…" she started, thinking. "I mean, it's two weeks from now. By then I'll be fine."

Bo began firmly shaking her head. "No. Nope. Nuh-uh, absolutely not."

"What?"

"No way I'm letting you fly when a doctor just told us you couldn't. Nope."

"It's not a big deal, seriously. They just say that because you have to watch out for blood clots. But, just like the doctor said, I'm _fine._ I'm not showing any warning signs, there's absolutely no indication of any problems. So, yeah, _normally_ they say you shouldn't fly, but for me, it's fine."

Bo nodded. She was quiet for a few beats, and then spoke again. "If I just had emergency surgery, would you let me fly?"

"That's…different," Lauren offered, lamely.

"Not different."

"Different."

"Alright, how? How is it different?"

"Because…I'm fine."

"Oh, you're _fine_. Oh, okay, I didn't know that, yeah, sure, you're right, that's totally different," Bo said, sarcastically.

Lauren sighed. "Look, discharge instructions are just…they're suggestions, alright? That's all."

"They're called discharge 'instructions', not discharge 'suggestions'," Bo pointed out.

"I'll be fine, I promise."

"You can't promise that," Bo replied. "And I just had to face the reality that something could happen to you, no chance in hell I'm doing that again if I can do anything to prevent it."

"Well, I mean…what then?"

Bo was quiet for a moment. "Then…I guess we don't go."

Lauren looked at Bo sharply. "What? No. She's your best friend, you have to go."

"She is my best friend, but I'm not leaving you."

"Bo, seriously – no. You _have_ to go. It's crazy that you're considering _not_ going."

"I don't want to go without you."

Lauren gave her a soft smile. "That's really sweet, but…it's Kenzi. You can't miss this. If you missed this because of me…I just, I'd hate myself for it. Please."

Bo looked at Lauren, the conflict warring in her mind clearly displayed on her face. "But…"

"No, no 'but'. It's _Kenzi_. This isn't a choice."

Bo sighed as she began gathering Lauren's things. "We can figure this out later, alright? For now, we need to get your stuff together and get a rental."

Lauren looked Bo, debating whether to press the topic further. The fact was, Lauren knew she was right about this; it was Kenzi's wedding. Kenzi, who had been Bo's best friend and sister since childhood; missing the wedding wasn't an option.

Lauren maneuvered herself, slowly, pushing herself to a standing position by the bed. Her body gave protest at the movement, but overall she was happy to note that her body wasn't as sore as it had been. She would fill the prescription in case the pain got out of hand, but overall, she felt better.

She ran her fingers through her hair, choosing not to contemplate how messy it probably looked right now, how disheveled she appeared. She had showered earlier this morning, at least, but it was Tuesday, and she had been in the hospital since her accident on Thursday – she didn't exactly look her best.

Once on her feet, Lauren grabbed her phone from the table near her bed, checking the battery. It would need to be charged, but she had enough for now. She sent a quick text to Vex to let him know they would be coming home; he had flown back the day before, generously agreeing to take the bulk of Lauren's luggage from the hotel back with him.

Next, Lauren called the hotel and was happy to reach Nadia just before she left to check out and return home herself. She thanked her for her help, and for contacting Bo after the accident, and promised to talk to her soon. Mentally, Lauren noted that she probably owed Nadia a new phone.

By the time she had finished talking to Nadia and Vex, Bo had finished gathering everything from the room. "Ready to go?" Bo asked with a smile.

"God, yes," Lauren answered with a grin.

Bo stepped closer to Lauren placed her left hand on Lauren's face, her right hand occupied by holding the various bags she and Lauren had in the room. She stroked her thumb across Lauren's cheek, looking into Lauren's eyes. "Six days in the hospital and you still look gorgeous," Bo said, softly.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm already dating you, you don't have to lie," she replied with a light laugh.

Bo leaned in and kissed Lauren softly. She stepped back and snaked her hand down to hold Lauren's as she said, "I'm a lawyer. I never lie."

* * *

The hospital called a cab for Bo and Lauren, and they told the driver to take them to the nearest car rental. An hour later they were set up with a car. Bo loaded everything in the backseat while Lauren got situated in the passenger seat.

Once in the car, Bo turned to Lauren. "Do you want to get your prescription filled before we leave?" she asked.

"I'm fine, I just want to go home," Lauren answered, ignoring the pain that was starting to break through.

Bo studied her for a moment, then turned the key to start the car, pulling out slowly. A few minutes later Bo parked in front of a drugstore.

"What are we doing here?" Lauren asked, glancing over at Bo.

Bo didn't answer, grabbing Lauren's prescription and heading inside.

Lauren shook her head and sighed, a light smile crossing her face. She should have known – Bo hadn't really been asking. In her own 'Bo' way, she had been informing. Lauren reclined her seat slightly and closed her eyes, the sun coming through the car window warming her face. The car smelled new and unfamiliar, but the knowledge that she was going home relaxed her until, a few minutes later, she slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

Bo entered the drug store and walked immediately to the counter in the back, turning over the prescription. The pharmacist told her it would be fifteen minutes, and so Bo opted to wander around the store, glancing idly at the odd items on the shelves. Christmas stickers lined the shelves, announcing holiday prices for the holiday that was still two months away. Bo shook her head – what had happened to Thanksgiving? I seemed like it was just skipped over.

A few minutes later, Bo pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Kenzi's number.

"Hot bitch hotline," Kenzi said when she answered.

"Really? That's how you answer the phone?" Bo asked, rolling her eyes.

"I have caller ID, grandma," Kenzi answered. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to let you know Lauren got discharged. She can't fly, so we rented a car. We're driving home. Are you okay to keep Zeus a little longer?"

"Absolutely. In fact, we might keep him. We aren't planning on giving him back."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Great, now you're stealing my dog."

"He said you didn't even want him."

"You talk to Lauren too much."

Kenzi laughed.

"So…listen," Bo said, trying to find the right words. "The doctor told Lauren that she can't fly for six weeks."

"That sucks," Kenzi replied, absently.

"Yeah, it does, because that means…" Bo let her voice trail off, waiting for Kenzi to catch on. "She can't come to Jamaica," Bo finished, when Kenzi didn't pick up on her meaning.

Kenzi was quiet for a moment as the words sunk in. "Oh," she commented finally. "That…I hadn't thought about that. That really sucks."

"Yeah," Bo replied.

"When can she fly again?" Kenzi asked.

"Not for six weeks," Bo answered.

"Six weeks. Huh. Wow."

"Yeah."

Bo and Kenzi were quiet a few moments longer.

"So…does that…I mean, I guess she wouldn't be able to go at all, then," Kenzi stated, working the news out in her mind.

"She told me she still wants me to go, because, obviously, it's you, but…I mean, I just feel horrible that this is messing things up."

"I don't expect you to come, babe. I know you want to stay close to her."

"You're my sister, Kenz."

"I know. But she's…we'll she's your girl."

"I just wish there was something else we could do about it," Bo commented. "I've been racking my brain, you know? Like could I get her there on a boat, or…" Bo's voice trailed off.

"It's okay, Bo," Kenzi replied. "I would hate it if you weren't there. But if you can't come…I mean, it's _Lauren_. I get it. If this had happened to Nate…I don't know. I get it."

Bo smiled. She hadn't expected Kenzi to be angry, but she also hadn't anticipated this calm, reasoned reaction. "I love you, Kenz."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kenzi answered. Bo could practically hear her eye roll. "How could you not? I'm the fucking _best_." Bo laughed and Kenzi was quiet for a moment before softly adding, "love you, too. Get home safe."

* * *

Lauren woke up feeling confused and groggy. She was moving, or rather, her seat was. She glanced up and saw trees zipping past outside of the car window as she struggled to cross from the land of Nod back to reality.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Bo said, brightly, from the driver's seat.

"What time is it?" Lauren asked, rubbing a hand across her eyes as the harsh sun bit against them.

"About 2:00p," Bo answered. As if in response, Lauren's stomach growled. Bo laughed. "And it sounds like lunch time," Bo added. "You should probably take something after you eat. You don't want the pain to get ahead of you."

"Mm," Lauren hummed in the back of her throat as her brain continued to wake up. "How far are we from home?"

Bo grabbed her phone that she was using as a GPS. "This says we'll get home…about 4:00a tomorrow morning?"

" _Seriously?_ "

Bo shrugged. "If you're suggesting I speed, I would like to remind you that it's against the law."

Lauren glanced at the speedometer. "You're going 82 miles per hour right now."

"Yeah, I had to slow down for a truck," Bo commented.

Lauren laughed.

* * *

Bo and Lauren spent the next ten hours talking, laughing, singing along to the radio, arguing about who was going to control the radio, and drinking more coffee than was medically advisable. When Bo finally pulled up in front of Lauren's apartment, she smiled and took a deep breath. She turned the car off and sagged against the seat. "Welcome home," she said to Lauren, her voice tired.

"God, I've never been happier to see this place," Lauren commented.

They continued to sit still, looking at the front of Lauren's apartment. "I am way to wired to contemplate going in and going to sleep," Bo noted.

Lauren laughed. "Oh, thank God, I am, too."

They started laughing, about almost nothing in particular.

"Hey," Lauren interjected when their laughter died down. "I know you've driven for an insane amount of time, but…do you think you could handle driving just a little bit more?"

Bo glanced over at her. "For you? Anything. Where do you want to go?"

Lauren smiled and looked back at the front of her apartment. "Home."

Bo smiled as well, turning the car back on, and pulling out to drive them to their house.

* * *

Thoughts are always welcomed


	48. Chapter 48

You people are going to be so spoiled. I mean, three updates in three days? Remember when this was normal? Those were the days.

Hey, have you guys read Fae to Fae? You should. It's written by this girl, lynedele77, and I know I've never mentioned this, but DAMN that bitch is awesome. You heard it here first.

Alright, so here's this one. Enjoy!

* * *

Bo woke up to the sound of her cellphone buzzing beside her. She was disoriented – where was she? She glanced around for a moment, noting that she had fallen asleep sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. Lauren was curled beside her, leaning into her chest, and Bo's arm was protectively around her shoulders.

As Bo's eyes alighted around the room, she remembered – they had come here last night, or, more accurately, early this morning. They had spent some time walking around the house, talking about the progress, noting how they would arrange furniture, before they had sat down and, apparently, fallen asleep.

Bo's phone continued to buzz beside her and a moment later Lauren stirred, the noise waking her up as well. Bo picked up the phone and saw "Kenzi" displayed on the screen.

"Hello?" Bo said, accepting the call, her voice thick with sleep.

"Are you dead in a ditch?"

"Huh?"

"It's afternoon. I've been calling for three hours. Are you dead in a ditch?"

"Who is it?" Lauren asked, groggily, turning her face slightly into Bo's chest.

"Kenzi," Bo answered Lauren.

"Yes, hi, it's me. Are you dead?"

"No, I was just…Lauren…why do you think we're dead in a ditch?"

"Who is dead in a ditch?" Lauren asked.

"No one, Kenzi's just being weird," Bo answered Lauren.

" _I'm_ being weird? Where the hell _are_ you?"

Bo sighed, signaling to Lauren to hold on. "We're at the house. We aren't dead."

"Oh, good, because if you were dead I wouldn't be able to yell at you for not calling me and letting me worried sick because I couldn't get ahold of you!" Kenzi exclaimed.

"Dude, chill," Bo replied, yawning.

"I'm sorry, did you just…I know you didn't just tell me to chill."

"Did you just say, 'dude, chill'?" Lauren asked.

Bo rolled her eyes. "Should I just put this on speakerphone?"

"Yes," Lauren and Kenzi answered in unison.

Bo sighed and hit the button place the call on speakerphone. "Alright. Kenzi, we aren't dead in a ditch, we just weren't ready to sleep when we got back, so we came to the house."

"Hi, Kenzi," Lauren interjected.

"Hey, Lauren, how are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks," Lauren answered.

Bo looked at Lauren and then at the phone with her mouth slightly open. "Hey, how come you're nice to her but not to me?"

"Because you're a pain in my ass," Kenzi shot back matter of factly.

"Hurtful," Bo noted.

"Accurate," Kenzi responded.

"How's Zeus?" Lauren cut in.

"He's great," Kenzi replied, her voice warming with affection.

There was a yelp in the background a wide smile came across Lauren's face. "Hey, Zeus!" she exclaimed, happily.

Bo sighed, but couldn't stop her smile.

"Are you at home? If you don't mind giving us a few minutes to go back to the apartment and shower we can come get him," Lauren continued.

"Take your time," Kenzi commented. "No rush."

" _SERIOUSLY._ Why are you so much nicer to her?" Bo asked Kenzi.

"See you soon!" Kenzi chirped before hanging up the phone.

Bo disconnected her end of the call and turned to Lauren. "My sister likes you more than me," she commented.

"I'm loveable," Lauren replied, keeping her face straight and serious.

Bo laughed, pulling herself up off the floor and sweeping the dust from her pants. She reached down and gingerly pulled Lauren to her feet as well. "Yes," she commented. "Yes, you are."

* * *

Once back at the apartment, Bo came to the realization that leaving fruit in a bowl on the counter was not a good idea if you weren't going to be home for week. Also not a good idea? Leaving milk that was close to the expiration date before you left in the refrigerator. Or forgetting to take out the trash.

Bo and Lauren stood in the entryway, taking stock of the potpourri foul odors that needed to be addressed. "Maybe we should just burn this place…" Bo offered.

Lauren nodded. "That might be the best idea."

Despite the cold air outside, Bo crossed into the kitchen and pushed open a window. "At least that will vent it a little bit, I guess…"

Lauren laughed and walked to Bo, running her fingers down Bo's arm until her fingers tangled with Bo's, pulling her slightly. "Come on, we need to shower and change," she commented, leading Bo toward the bedroom.

"Do you want to shower first?" Bo asked as she walked to the dresser, looking for clean clothes.

Lauren didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to Bo and wrapped her arms around Bo's middle, dropping a kiss to the back of Bo's neck. "You could join me…" she commented.

Bo closed her eyes for a moment, trying to focus. She turned in Lauren's arms and kissed her firmly, feeling Lauren's mouth open under hers. Before the kiss could develop further, Bo pulled back. "I don't think you're supposed to do that yet," she answered Lauren, her voice breathy.

"I'm fine," Lauren replied, her voice low, as she drew Bo back in.

Bo was lost; this simply wasn't fair. Why did she have to be the sensible one here?

She pulled back again, feeling her heart hammer harder as she looked at Lauren's half closed eyes and saw her chest rising and falling with her breath. She smoothed a piece of hair behind Lauren's ear. "We can't."

Lauren pulled Bo back in for a third kiss, her tongue pressing against Bo's, and Bo felt her resolve slip further. _Maybe it would be fine…_

 _She just had surgery. Stop._

Bo pulled back again. "You need to go get a shower. We have to go get Zeus. You aren't allowed to do this yet." Her words were partly for Lauren and partly a reminder for herself.

"Maybe I need help in the shower?" Lauren offered, her hands roaming against Bo. "You could come with me…"

Bo felt herself slipping again, felt her body gravitating towards Lauren, felt her lips approaching Lauren's, but stopped herself. If Lauren wasn't medically cleared to have sex yet, she _definitely_ wasn't cleared to have sex in a shower. She stepped back, withdrawing herself from Lauren's grasp. "Okay," she said, clearing her throat. "Go get a shower. I'll start cleaning the kitchen."

Lauren looked at her with an amused smile. "Are you trying to distract me from wanting to have sex with you by talking about the rotting smell in the kitchen?"

"Yes," Bo replied, firmly.

Lauren trailed her fingers against Bo's cheek, stepping closer again and giving Bo a last, lingering kiss. "A shower with me is more fun than cleaning the kitchen," she noted.

Bo battled against herself a moment longer before putting her hands on Lauren's shoulder's holding her at arm's length. "Shower. Then we go get Zeus. Go."

Lauren smiled, trailing her finger down the line from Bo's chin to her cleavage.

Bo took a deep breath and put her hand over Lauren's, moving her finger away. "Dammit, woman," she breathed out.

Lauren just laughed.

* * *

A short time later, when Bo and Lauren were showered and changed, they prepared to head over to the Dal to meet with Kenzi. When they got in the car, Bo passed Lauren a granola bar. Lauren accepted it, looking at Bo in confusion.

Bo looked at her with a smile. "It's Wednesday. You need lunch."

Lauren laughed. "Oh, yeah. I guess it is Wednesday. I actually forgot."

Bo pretended to look hurt. "You _forgot_?"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it hasn't exactly been a normal week."

"No, no, it's fine," Bo replied, faking sniffling. "I get it. This relationship just means more to me than it does to you. It's okay."

Lauren laughed harder. "Oh, _come on_ , seriously?"

Bo put the car in gear and pulled out into the street. "No, really, it's okay. I mean, I have been in this relationship longer than you."

Lauren glanced at Bo, confused. "What? What do you mean?"

Bo smiled as she paused at the stop sign, looking for oncoming traffic. "Well, you lost a few days of it. So, technically, I've been in this relationship longer than you, right?"

Lauren smiled. "I don't think you get extra points for my memory loss."

Bo glanced at her, her face falsely serious. "Yes. Yes, I do get extra points."

Lauren just shook her head, laughing. They rode the next few minutes, talking about nothing in particular. "I should probably see if Dyson or Kenzi are willing to give me a ride to the rental car place so we can turn this in," Bo commented.

Lauren nodded. "Sorry I can't help with that."

"Yeah, I'm really holding it against you," Bo laughed, sarcastically. "Seriously, stop apologizing for having surgery."

Lauren smiled. "Hey, I don't know if I've said this, but…thank you."

"For what?" Bo asked, glancing over at Lauren as she pulled the car into the parking lot of the Dal.

"For…everything. For coming to New Orleans, for taking care of me, for putting your whole life on hold to look out for me, for –"

Bo twisted the keys in the ignition, turning off the car, before reaching over to halt Lauren's speech by putting her hand on top of Lauren's. "Baby," she began, drawing Lauren's eye. "Don't thank me for any of that. I love you. I would do anything for you. Coming to New Orleans, taking care of you, being there for you…don't thank me for that. And as far as putting my life on hold for you…I didn't. Not actually. Because you're my life. So, don't thank me."

Lauren sat back, letting Bo's words sink in. She wanted to say something – she felt like she needed to say something – but instead, the only word that came to her mind was, "okay."

Bo smiled and opened the door. "Alright, now that we've settled that, let's go get our dog."

Lauren grinned and followed Bo out of the car and into the Dal.

Once inside, Lauren and Bo were greeted by Vex, who was sitting at the bar, Tamsin, who was standing behind it with Dyson and Ciara, and Nate, who was sitting a few seats down from Vex.

"She lives!" Dyson commented with a broad smile when Lauren walked in. "Welcome back, Doctor."

Lauren smiled. "Nice to be back," she answered.

"How are you feeling?" Ciara inquired.

"Much better, thank you."

"Hey, Dyson, would you mind taking a field trip with me later to drop of the rental car?" Bo asked.

Before Dyson could answer, there was a yelping sound as Zeus bounded down the stairs at the sound of Bo's voice.

A wide grin split Lauren's face. "Zeus!" she exclaimed, intercepting the dog and wrapping her arms around his neck when he ran toward them.

Bo involuntarily winced and moved down beside Lauren, quickly. "Baby, please be careful, you just had surgery, and –"

"Shhh," Lauren replied as Zeus licked her face. "I'm fine, stop worrying so much."

"Welcome back, bitches," Kenzi called out, coming down the stairs behind Zeus. She walked over to Nate and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "All taken care of," she commented to him. "December 19th."

Nate nodded. "Sounds perfect."

"What's December 19th?" Tamsin asked, grabbing a bottle from the back bar.

"Our wedding," Nate answered.

Almost in unison, everyone turned their attention to Nate and Kenzi.

"I'm sorry – what?" Dyson asked.

"Am I very stoned, or did we agree that you were doing that in a few weeks?" Vex interjected.

"To answer your first question, Vex, I have no doubt that you are very stoned at least seventy-five percent of the time," Kenzi replied. Vex nodded. "And to your second question – we just decided to move the date back a few weeks, that's all."

"Cold feet?" Tamsin asked with a smirk.

Bo's eyes were trained on Kenzi. When Kenzi finally looked at her, Bo said quietly. "You didn't have to do that, Kenz."

Dyson looked between Kenzi and Bo. "Didn't have to do what? What's going on?"

"I did have to do that," Kenzi replied to Bo. "It's family. I didn't want to get married without my family."

Lauren, finally understanding at least in part what was happening, turned to Bo. "What? I told you to go."

"We didn't want to get married without our family, Lauren," Nate commented, standing up. "You couldn't be there on the 18th. So we moved it."

Lauren froze looking at Nate. "Wait – what?"

"I am so very confused. And growing bored," Vex cut in, inspecting his fingernails.

"Lauren can't fly for six weeks," Bo answered him, her eyes still on Kenzi. "So Nate and Kenzi moved the wedding until she could be there."

"Really?" Ciara asked.

Nate and Kenzi looked at one another and shrugged. "Yeah," Kenzi answered. "It's not a big deal, really. Just had to call them and rearrange a few things."

"Kenzi…" Bo began.

Nate halted Bo before she could continue by walking over to Lauren and wrapping her in a gentle hug. "We're really glad you're okay," he said. "Welcome home."

Lauren was dumbfounded. "Nate, this…you didn't have to…"

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, don't make this a thing."

Bo looked back at Kenzi. "Well, I mean…I'm sure you had to pay a fee, or –"

Nate put his hand up. "It's not much, really."

"And you can just work for free to pay it off," Kenzi said with a smile and wink.

"I can't believe you have changed this at the last minute, I have a very busy work schedule to consider," Vex huffed at the bar.

"I'll let you have a plus one, and, as the bride, insist that no one is allowed to tease you about bringing Dave," Kenzi noted.

"I do love weddings," Vex replied with a grin.

* * *

Thoughts are encouraged


	49. Chapter 49

God, you all are SO spoiled. Also, four updates in four days? High five, me! Lol

Alright, so this is the last update before I leave for my trip, so you actually won't hear from me for a little bit. Maybe take that time that I'm away to read Fae to Fae, alright? Because, DAMN, that story is so good.

On a more serious note, can we all huddle up for a second to discuss lynedele77? Yeah, I know I've done this once or twice before, but seriously, I'm going to stop being stupid and making weird comments for about two seconds (that's all I can manage, this is all very uncomfortable for me lol) and tell you - I went through a huge writing dry spell recently. Maybe you all noticed? I'm sure you didn't, because you were so focused on those frequent once a month updates. Anyway, I wasn't really writing anymore, and knowing myself as I do, had it not been for lynedele77 I would have said to myself "alright, clearly I can't write anymore" and this story would have just ended. Now, maybe you've been reading and think "yeah, it probably should have," but if you're reading and you're happy that this story is still a thing that's happening - that's all lynedele77. So give her a shout out.

Also, encourage her to add more bears to her story. She won't listen to me when I tell her. There is a disturbing lack of bear attacks in her story.

Alright, on with it. Enjoy, see you in a week or so

* * *

Lauren woke up the morning to find her arms wrapped around a pillow, the smell of coffee rising in the bedroom. A smile came across her face the comforting familiarity of the moment – the way the sheet smelled like Bo's hair, the warmth of the comforter that was bunched near her chin, the soft sounds of Bo moving around the room.

She opened her eyes and caught Bo standing near the bed, her eyes on her phone. "Morning," she said, causing Bo to look at her and smile.

"Hey, baby, how did you sleep?"

Lauren yawned and nodded. "Really good, actually." Lauren noted Bo's clothes and, with a note of disappointment, asked, "you're getting ready to leave for work?"

Bo stepped closer to the bed and kneeled, bringing her face level with Lauren's without Lauren having to sit up. "Yeah, I have to get ready to go. Sorry we aren't having a morning together, but I really wanted to let you sleep."

Lauren smiled softly. "Okay," she said.

"I did make coffee," Bo offered.

Lauren nodded. "Thanks. Do you think you'll be late tonight?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Bo sighed. "I have to go figure out if anyone did any work while I was gone, or if it's all on my desk. Depending on that, we'll see. I can text you when I know for sure."

"Okay. I was just trying to think of what I should make for dinner."

Bo reached up and brushed Lauren's hair off her neck. "I can just pick us up something. You're supposed to be relaxing."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Bo, I can make dinner. I'm healing, not dying," she laughed.

Bo smiled and gave Lauren a quick kiss on the forehead. "Still, though. I want you to just relax, alright? Don't be the tough doctor for a few days. Just…relax. Heal."

Lauren sighed. "Honestly, I'm _fine_ ," Lauren commented.

Bo looked directly into Lauren's eyes, her thumb tracing Lauren's jawline. "Please?" she asked, her voice low.

Lauren rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Cheating."

Bo smiled, knowing Lauren couldn't refuse her, not really. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Lauren answered. She reached up to the front of Bo's shirt and pulled her in to a kiss. It was slow and calm, and when they broke apart Lauren kept her eyes closed, savoring the moment.

"No working today. Take it easy. No cooking, no cleaning. Just relaxing. Alright?"

Lauren sighed again. "I have to do some things, you know."

"No, you don't." Bo glanced back at her phone. "Vex just texted me back. He'll be here in fifteen minutes. I've told him to make sure you're fed and relaxing. You're under strict orders to do nothing, understood?"

"What the hell, you called in a _babysitter_?" Lauren asked.

Bo grinned and kissed Lauren again. "See you tonight."

Lauren groaned as Bo walked out of the room. When Bo was gone, she sat up and grabbed her coffee off the nightstand, taking a large sip. As soon as she had swallowed she felt more awake, more alert, more clear. Placebo effect? Absolutely. But, hey, it worked.

She crossed the room and pulled out a clean pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt before going to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair.

A few minutes later she was in the living room, turning the TV to the news, when she heard a loud knock at the door. She walked over and opened it to reveal a very grumpy looking Vex on the other side.

"Your wife is a right bitch," he grumbled by way of greeting, entering the house.

Lauren closed the door behind him. "What? What do you mean?"

Vex dropped onto the couch, huffing dramatically. "I smell coffee. I need coffee."

Lauren rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen, pouring Vex a mug of coffee from the pot Bo had left on. "So why are you upset with Bo?" she asked again.

Vex looked at Lauren with an irritated gaze before accepting the mug Lauren had extended to him. "I was in bed, _minding my own business_ , when your wife called me at this ungodly hour to make me come watch you." Vex took a gulp of his coffee. His face immediately contorted in dislike. "There isn't even rum in this?"

"Um…it's 7:30a…"

Vex sighed dramatically. "I don't understand you people." He set the mug down on the coffee table. " _Anyway_ , I was all comfortable in my bed, not bothering anyone, and your wife called and dragged me over here."

"Stop calling her that," Lauren commented, rolling her eyes. "You're going to say it accidently in front of her one day."

Vex shrugged. "So?"

"So…just, stop, alright?"

Vex shook his head. "Love, she isn't wearing your jewelry, but she's basically your wife. I doubt my noting it would shock her." He reclined on the couch, closing his eyes.

Lauren sighed, dropping down at the opposite end of the couch, grabbing the remote.

"Do you have the Real Housewives?" Vex asked, his eyes popping open as she changed the channel. "And maybe some snacks?"

Lauren just shook her head as she scrolled through the channels.

* * *

Vex returned on Friday morning, equally grumpy, despite Lauren's protests to Bo that she was fine. Bo and Lauren spent the weekend at home, with Bo refusing to let Lauren exert herself. Although Lauren appreciated gesture, by Monday she was feeling antsy, jittery.

Bo left before Lauren was awake on Monday. When Lauren got up, she grabbed her coffee where Bo had, again, left it on the nightstand, and headed to the living room. She had just walked into the room when she heard a loud rap at the door.

She walked over and pulled it open to find Vex, looking as pissed off as ever, on the other side.

" _Seriously?_ " Lauren exclaimed. " _Again?_ "

"It isn't my choice, Love, she keeps calling me," Vex grumbled, walking past Lauren into the kitchen to retrieve coffee.

"This is getting out of hand," Lauren commented as she closed the door.

Vex nodded as he poured his coffee. "Seriously, darling, I adore you, but you need to get control of your woman."

Lauren sighed. "She's just been…overprotective."

Vex fixed Lauren with a withering gaze. "Gee, ya think?" he intoned, sarcastically, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Look, you can go home, alright? I'm fine."

He shook his head. "No, she already told me I couldn't leave."

"So? She's at work. It's not like she'll know."

"She'll know."

"Why are you worried about her finding out, anyway?" Lauren asked.

Vex took another sip of coffee. "She may have…some dirt on me."

Lauren looked at Vex, quizzically. "What kind of dirt?"

"It was just a little weed," Vex said rolling his eyes.

Lauren paused. "And…?"

"And some ecstasy."

" _Vex._ "

"It's a party drug!" he defended.

"Why do you have drugs?"

"They weren't mine, someone gave them to me at a club. And she only found out about them because _I didn't take them_. I left them in my jacket pocket. She found them."

Lauren just sighed, crossing over to the couch and sitting down. Vex took another sip and joined her a moment later.

"Real Housewives?" he asked.

Lauren groaned.

* * *

Vex returned Tuesday. By Wednesday, Lauren was irritated. Bo left before Lauren was awake, and, as usual, Vex arrived around 8:00a.

"Go home," Lauren said when she opened the door, blocking Vex's entrance with her body.

"Would that I could, love," Vex sighed, pushing his way in.

Lauren groaned, closing the door behind him. "I'm _fine._ I haven't had to take pain meds for days. I'm thinking about going back to work soon. I don't need someone to watch me. Everything has been perfect. No infection, no fever, no problems whatsoever. _I'm fine._ "

Vex grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet and dipped his hand in, bringing a fistful of it to his mouth. "It isn't up to me," he responded with a shrug. "Did you tape Real Housewives? I think the reunion special was on last night." He dropped onto the couch, taking the cereal box with him.

Lauren stood in the kitchen, he fists clenched at her sides. "This is insane."

"I know, these specials are the best," Vex commented, completely missing Lauren's meaning.

Lauren took a deep breath and sat down beside Vex.

* * *

At 12:30p Lauren and Vex heard a noise at the door. A moment later, Bo entered, carrying takeout food. "Hey, guys," she said, placing the bags on the counter. "I brought lunch."

Lauren looked up at her, but didn't stand from the couch.

"What are we having?" Vex asked, standing up and walking over to inspect the food.

Bo glanced at Lauren. "What's wrong?" she asked when she saw the look on Lauren's face.

"Vex, you need to leave," Lauren commented calmly, keeping her eyes on Bo.

"What?" Vex asked, still looking through the bags.

"Leave, Vex," Lauren repeated.

Vex looked up at Lauren, and then glanced at Bo. "Um…"

"It's okay, Vex," Bo told him, continuing to look at Lauren. "Thanks for coming by. I'll call you later if we need you."

"Well, this is bloody awkward," Vex noted, looking between Bo and Lauren who continued to stare at each other. He grabbed some food out of the bag and headed for the door. "Try not to kill each other. Ta."

Once Vex was gone, Bo dropped her keys to the counter and turned back to Lauren. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Lauren stood up, and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Listen, Bo…we need to talk."

A look of worry crossed Bo's face. "Okay…"

"Vex isn't coming over anymore."

"Um…"

Lauren put her hand up, halting Bo. "No. Listen to me. Vex is done. I don't need a babysitter. Nothing is going to happen to me. _I'm fine_ , alright? I know you're just worried but…enough. Stop. No more, okay?"

Bo crossed her arms and looked at Lauren. "No," she said, simply.

"No?" Lauren said, flabbergasted.

"No. You're saying you're fine, but you had major surgery. I know you. If you're here alone, you're going to start cleaning, or working, or pushing yourself too hard. Vex will distract you, and by default you'll get some rest. I know you think you're fine, but you almost _died_ , alright?"

"I didn't almost die," Lauren replied, rolling her eyes.

"You did though. You did. I was _there_."

"I'm fine, Bo. Seriously. Stop."

"No. Look, I get that you want peace and quiet, I get that you're tired of having Vex here every day, but…Lauren, I _remember_ what happened, alright? I saw Nadia. I saw blood – _your_ blood – on her clothes. I saw you when you were still unconscious. I _saw_ it."

Lauren walked over to Bo, placing her hands on Bo's shoulders. "Bo… _I'm fine_ , okay?"

Bo looked down, not meeting Lauren's eyes. Lauren continued to look at her, seeing a tear weaving its way down Bo's cheek. She reached up gently and brushed it away before curling her finger under Bo's chin and lifting her face back up so her eyes could meet with Lauren's again.

"I know you were scared, okay? And I'm…I'm so, so sorry you went through that. If the situation had been reversed…I don't even want to think about it, alright? I get it. But it's over now. It's a bad memory, that's all. I'm okay. I'm going to stay okay. I don't need a babysitter."

Bo gave no response. Her eyes were set as she held Lauren in a steel gaze.

"I'm okay," Lauren repeated.

Bo shook her head 'no,' turning her eyes down again.

Lauren opened her palms and pressed it against Bo's cheek, raising her face for a second time. When Bo's eyes returned to hers, Lauren leaned in and kissed her deeply.

Bo's hands instinctively moved to Lauren's waist as Lauren moved her other hand to the other side of Bo's face, holding her steady and close to her. She tilted her head slightly and opened her mouth, pressing her tongue against Bo's when Bo responded in kind.

Lauren felt her body relaxing into the kiss; despite everything they had been through together, despite how long they had been together, despite how many times they had been together, kissing Bo still made her feel hazy, and giddy, and like she had butterflies in her stomach. It made her feel like she was home.

Bo's arms snaked around to encircle Lauren completely as the kiss continued, and soon Lauren heard herself sighing against Bo, reveling in the contact. Too soon, Bo broke the kiss and tried to move back slightly.

"Lauren –"

Lauren cut her off by drawing her back in and kissing her again. Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo's neck and shoulders, whimpering when she felt Bo's breasts press against hers.

"Lauren, you can't –"

"Shut up," Lauren mumbled against Bo's lips, kissing her again.

As the kiss continued, Lauren felt Bo relaxing into her more and more as her resolve slipped away. Lauren felt Bo sinking into her, and it ignited her further, pushing everything but Bo from her mind.

Bo started to protest one last time, but before she could, Lauren shifted her hands down Bo's body to cup Bo's ass, drawing her hips forward as she tangled her tongue more aggressively against Bo's a moan rising from her throat.

The kiss continued and soon they were fumbling their way through the living room, stumbling toward the bedroom as pieces of clothes were discarded in their journey. By the time they reached the bedroom, Bo was down to underwear, while Lauren retained only her bra.

They tumbled onto the bed, Lauren landing on top of Bo. Lauren slipped her hand down across the front of Bo's hips, feeling them jerk upward, and as she did so, a whimper slipped from Bo's lips. At the sound, Lauren pushed the underwear aside and dipped two fingers into Bo, feeling her own arousal increase as she slipped against the wetness she found there.

"God, I missed you," she murmured, her mouth still against Bo's.

Bo shifted her hips, her legs opening wider to accommodate Lauren. Her own hands drifted to Lauren's back, unhooking her bra with one hand before pushing her hands under the front of it, caressing Lauren's breasts, dragging her thumbs across her erect nipples.

With a groan, Bo removed her hands from Lauren and reached down, pulling Lauren's fingers from her. Lauren looked at her in confusion, but a moment later Bo pushed Lauren's bra entirely off her arms, dropping it to the floor before adding her own underwear to the pile. She then pulled Lauren back, her own fingers seeking the wetness between Lauren's legs. Lauren's fingers immediately returned to Bo, her fingers writhing as her brain focused on Bo.

"Two weeks is too long to go without fucking you," Bo groaned, her voice raw.

Lauren was rapidly losing the ability to focus on Bo's words as Bo's fingers curled inside of her, pulling against her, turning her inside out.

"Two weeks?" she breathed, her own voice cracking and breaking as the sensations Bo was causing washed over her.

Bo's fingers stilled for a moment and Lauren whined, her hips grinding down, trying to force Bo to resume. When Bo didn't move, Lauren turned to look at her with pleading eyes, only to find Bo looking at her with a slight smile.

"What?" Lauren panted, her hips still angling against Bo, her own hand twisting inside of Bo.

At the movement of Lauren's fingers, Bo's eyes fell closed briefly. " _Shit_ , Lauren," she groaned, her head tipping back, her neck elongating before Lauren. Lauren moved forward, her lips moving against the column of Bo's neck as her fingers continued to press and move.

Bo's hand remained still, and Lauren was grinding onto Bo fully now, making no effort to be subtle. "Bo…please…"

Bo's fingers began moving again and Lauren nearly sobbed in relief, almost missing Bo's voice when she spoke again. "I forgot…you don't remember the last time we did this…"

The words made Lauren pause for a moment, her eyes returning to Bo.

Now it was Bo's turn to squirm. "Lauren…baby…" she complained, using her own fingers to continue pushing Lauren higher. Lauren's eyes closed briefly against the pleasure, but she forced them open again to look at Bo.

"I don't remember the last time we did this?" she asked. At the next twist of Bo's fingers, Lauren's eyes rolled back in her head as she sucked a deep breath, trying to keep herself focused.

Bo used her left hand to reach behind Lauren's head, drawing their lips together, their tongues battling and Bo pumped into Lauren harder, faster. The feeling spurred Lauren own, and soon her own fingers rocking into Bo, both women whimpering in pleasure.

Bo slowed her hand slightly and broke the kiss. "Before you left…we…. _fuck_ …we…God, Lauren…"

Lauren moved her mouth to Bo's ear, taking the lobe between her lips. "We what?" she panted out.

"We did this…all night… _baby_ , God…"

"We did?" Lauren groaned.

"Mmm," Bo hummed. She moved her thumb to come in contact with Lauren's clit, causing her to nearly sob in pleasure. "We did."

Lauren moved back to capture Bo's lips, her own hand mimicking Bo's as she stroked Bo's clit, and soon both were writhing against one another, crying out in ecstasy as pleasure broke over them, washing the trauma of the last two weeks away.

* * *

Bo didn't go back to work; instead, she and Lauren spend the day in bed, laying against each other, talking, sleeping, touching, and relaxing. By the time night came, Bo felt…healed. She was somewhat surprised to realize just how fragile, how broken she had felt. The realization that Lauren could have died…she hadn't quite realized how it had shattered her.

By midnight, Lauren was laying with her head on Bo's naked chest, her breathing deep and even, while Bo sat awake, her fingers idly running through Lauren's hair, taking deep breaths of the smell of clean cotton that surrounded her.

As she laid there, her mind momentarily drifted back to the night in the hospital, when she had spoken to Lauren in her sleep. She smiled, vaguely, realizing that Lauren had echoed some of her words from that conversation earlier in the day, when she had told Bo that she was okay, and that it was all just a bad memory…for a moment, Bo let herself believe that, somehow, some way, Lauren had heard her.

"Lauren?" Bo said, her voice barely above a whisper. Lauren didn't move, and Bo continued to stroke her hair.

Bo was quiet for a moment as Lauren's breathing remained unchanged.

A moment later, Bo spoke again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I've been crazy, Lauren. But…you have to understand…the idea of losing you…" she took a deep, steadying breath. "I love you, Lauren. I adore you. To think that something as stupid as a cab could take you away from me…" She paused again, her fingers still trailing through Lauren's hair.

"Thinking I could lose you, that you could be taken away from me…it's terrifying. I don't ever want to let that happen." Her voice was still only at a whisper as Lauren's breathing remained steady against her chest. "Without you…I don't really know what I am without you. I do know that I'm…less. You make me better. You make me want to be better. You make me whole."

Bo fell quiet another moment, her fingers gliding through the softness of Lauren's hair. "I always thought love made you lose something, or that it changed you. And it does. But I was wrong – I didn't lose anything. I gained something. I gained more of myself. I'm more myself with you." Her own words surprised her slightly, as she realized how true they were.

She took a deep breath, drawing the smell of Lauren deeper into her, and closed her eyes, her fingers still moving. "This is it, Lauren. For me, this is it. I want this, you, forever." Her voice was still low as she continued to relax, feeling the edges of drowsiness tugging at her. "I don't care what happens. I don't care what life throws at us, as long as we're there to catch it together. I want us, this, forever."

There was no change from Lauren as Bo's fingers continued to move, slowing almost imperceptibly as Bo continued to relax. "I've never been happy like this before. I've never felt at home like this before. And I thought, I don't know, maybe that would fade. But it hasn't. It's just gotten stronger. I kept waiting for that switch to flip that told me to run. But it hasn't happened. All that's happened is I've realized I've fallen more in love with you."

Her breath was deepening, her voice getting slightly lower, as she continued. "I've never wanted a relationship like this, but I want it with you. I've never wanted kids, but I'd have them for you. I'd do anything as long as I got to be with you. I love you. I want to marry you."

Bo's eyes were closed but she opened them when she felt Lauren move. When she opened her eyes, she found Lauren looking at her. "What?"

Bo froze. "Um…hey…I thought you were asleep…"

Lauren didn't say anything, continuing to stare at Bo.

"So…how much of that did you hear?" Bo asked, realizing that, if nothing else, Lauren had definitely heard that last comment.

"I woke up around 'I'm more myself with you'," Lauren answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh," Bo replied, quietly.

They sat for a few moments in silence, before Lauren broke it. "Did you…do you mean that?"

Bo looked at her, knowing what she meant, but waiting for confirmation.

"About…about wanting to get married?"

Bo took a deep breath. "Yeah," she said simply. "I do."

Lauren was unmoving, her heart hammering against her ribs.

At her silence, Bo shifted so she was sitting up in bed, drawing Lauren up slightly with her. "Listen…I don't think…I know you weren't expecting to hear that tonight. I mean, _I_ wasn't even really expecting you to hear that tonight. But…well, it's true. I do want that. I don't mean now, or today, or…I just mean…yeah. One day. Without question. I want to be married to you."

Lauren remained silent.

"Does that…um, is that…" Bo's voice trailed off.

Lauren was silent a moment longer, and then she was kissing Bo, the tears she didn't realize were in her eyes dropping down her cheeks and pressing into Bo's skin.

Bo pulled back slightly, swiping the tears away from Lauren's eyes, a slight smile tugging the corner of her lips. "So…is that a good sign?" she inquired, referring to the kiss.

"Yes," Lauren whispered against Bo, pulling her back. "Yes, it's a good sign."

* * *

Thoughts are encouraged


	50. Chapter 50

Hey, everyone

So, it's been a while since I posted. I don't have anything really to say about that. Just an observation.

Hey, guys, have we talked about lynedele77? Because, let me tell you something, people - she is the shit. Like, it's insane, 100% the shit. She is going through an insane few weeks right now, so how about we all take some time to let her know that she is the best? Because, seriously - so fucking amazing. It's nuts.

Have you read her story? It's so fucking good.

She's also on Twitter. Or so she tells me. I don't know that firsthand, but she's pretty honest. I mean, I think she is. Maybe she's fundamentally lying to me about everything. But I doubt it. Find her on Twitter. Her Twitter name is something about her real name, probably. Or her penname. I don't know. I can't do everything for you people, geesh. Just find her, alright? Damn.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Lauren, wearing a white cotton Oxford shirt, the buttons half open, over a white tank top and pale blue jeans. Barefoot. Her hair down, soft around her face. Smiling. Sunlight streaming in from somewhere – Bo couldn't see where – but following Lauren, making her hair shimmer, warming her face. The house, empty. Or, no, wait…no, it was becoming furnished now. As Lauren spoke and pointed toward things Bo slowly realized that the room had furniture in it, pictures on the walls, rugs on the floor, curtains on the windows._

 _Zeus ran into the room, coming from behind Bo, and Lauren kneeled down to meet him, her face bright, smiling widely and laughing as she rubbed his ears, mussing his fur. He pushed his face against her, his tail thumping wildly with happiness._

" _I told you he'd like you more than me," Bo commented._

 _Lauren looked up at her and smiled, her eyes appearing light and amused. She glanced around the room again. "There aren't any pictures of us in here," she noted._

 _Bo glanced around the now furnished room. "No, you're right," she answered with a note of surprise. "Why aren't there any pictures of us?"_

" _I guess we don't have any," Lauren replied with a shrug._

 _Bo felt a heaviness press on her chest. "Why don't we have any?"_

" _I guess we never took them."_

" _We should take some," Bo noted._

 _Lauren looked back and Bo and laughed again. "Well, it's too late now," she commented._

" _Why is it too late?"_

" _Well, I mean, we aren't dating anymore…" Lauren answered her, looking at Bo in confusion._

 _Bo felt her heart accelerate. "We…what?"_

" _We aren't dating anymore, Bo. You know that."_

" _No, wait, we are, we –"_

 _Lauren laughed, stopping Bo from speaking. "We aren't dating, Bo."_

 _Lauren turned her attention back to Zeus while Bo stood in a confused silence. Bo looked around the room again, noticing that the furniture seemed to be disappearing. "Then…if we aren't dating, why are we here? What are we doing here?"_

 _Lauren didn't look up, continuing to talk to Zeus._

" _Lauren? Are you…can you hear me?"_

 _Lauren still didn't look up. Bo frantically looked around the room again as more furniture vanished, as the rugs faded away, the pictures disappeared from the walls. Bo saw that the curtains were gone now, but for some reason less light appeared in the room. Her gaze returned to Lauren, who was standing up now._

" _Did we break up?" Bo asked, trying unsuccessfully to make her voice louder than a whisper._

" _You don't remember?" Lauren asked, cocking her head to the side. "You're the one who did it. This is all because of you."_

 _Bo frantically searched her memories, but could find nothing that explained what was happening. "I thought…I thought we were happy."_

 _Lauren shrugged. "I guess it wasn't enough."_

 _The room was empty now. Zeus was no longer at Lauren's feet. Bo paused for a moment, and then asked, "if we aren't dating now, why are we here?"_

 _Lauren looked around the empty space. "Maybe we wanted to see it one last time before it all changed."_

 _Before Bo could ask what Lauren meant, Lauren started walking backwards, away from Bo._

" _Where are you going?" Bo asked._

 _Lauren didn't answer, still slowly walking backwards until she reached the doorframe at the end of the room. "It's time to go," Lauren noted._

" _Go? Go where?" Bo started to walk toward Lauren, but as she did the room became longer and longer, preventing her from making progress._

 _Lauren turned her back to Bo, looking through the black doorway._

" _Lauren, what's going on? Where are you going?"_

 _Lauren didn't answer, slowly lifting one foot and stepping into the blackness._

" _Lauren?" Bo entreated again._

 _Lauren stepped fully into the dark and out of Bo's view._

" _Lauren!"_

" _What?" a disembodied voice came back._

" _LAUREN!"_

" _What?"_

 _The room started disintegrating around Bo, the walls crumbling like ash._

" _Bo…"_

 _The ground began to shake as if an earthquake was beginning beneath Bo's feet._

" _BO."_

Bo jerked up, her eyes flying open, frantically searching the darkness only to find Lauren with her hands on Bo's arms, staring at her. "Bo, wake up, wake up."

"Lauren?" Bo asked, her voice groggy and confused.

"Hey," Lauren said, her voice laced with concern. "You must have been having a bad dream. Are you alright?"

Bo took a series of deep breaths, trying to bring her mind back to reality. "Yeah, I, uh…bad dream," she said.

Lauren nodded. "Okay. Are you alright? What happened?"

Bo shook her head, still trying to shake away the remnants of the dream. Her eyes caught the glowing numbers of the clock displaying 5:37a. "Oh, fuck," she muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her mind sinking back into reality. "I have to get up, I needed to be up at 5."

Lauren inched closer to her, running her hand over Bo's bare back. "Hey…are you alright?"

Bo took a last deep breath and looked and Lauren with a small, reassuring smile. "Yeah," she said. "Just a bad dream. I'm fine now." She leaned over and gave Lauren a light kiss before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

Bo got ready quickly, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream as she did so. It wasn't real, after all. It was just a dream. Just a stupid dream, a result of leftover stress. She forced herself to focus, to think about the things she needed to do at work. Speaking of stress…

She finished in the bathroom and walked back out into the bedroom only to find the bed empty. She felt her heart rate spike slightly, even though she knew it was irrational. She knew Lauren was probably just in the kitchen, or in the living room watching the news, but she felt jittery, anxious, worried. She moved quickly into the living room where she was greeted with the smell of coffee and the sight of Lauren reaching to pull their mugs out of the cabinet.

Bo stood for a moment, watching Lauren, taking deep breaths. Lauren was here. Of course she was here. She knew she would be. And yet, despite knowing that, seeing her here, in the kitchen, moving around and making coffee like always, filled her with an overwhelming sense of relief.

She clearly hadn't heard Bo come in the room, as her attention remained focused on her task. Bo smiled slightly, forcing herself to accept the fact that the dream was over and the real Lauren was here, with her, and that everything was the way it should be.

She crossed the room quietly, but at the sound of her steps, Lauren turned her head slightly. "I went ahead and made the coffee," she commented. As if offering proof, she turned and held up Bo's mug.

Bo smiled and accepted the mug from her hand before placing it back down on the counter. Before Lauren could say anything more, she gathered Lauren in her arms and kissed her deeply, feeling Lauren's initial note of surprise, and then feeling herself get lightheaded as Lauren sunk into her, responding to her touch.

When they pulled apart, Lauren looked at her, seeming dazed. "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

Bo pulled Lauren into a hug. "I love you," she said, simply.

She felt Lauren turn her face so it was pressed against her neck. "I love you, too," she hummed.

They stood that way a moment longer, and after a few beats Bo stepped back. "Thank you for the coffee."

Lauren nodded, tucking a piece of Bo's hair behind her ear. "So…bad dream, huh?"

Bo shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Want to talk about it?"

Bo shook her head. "No. I'm just…glad it wasn't real, that's all."

Lauren nodded. "Okay." They were quiet for a few moments. "Hey, Bo…"

Bo glanced up.

"I'm going to go back to work tomorrow."

"What? Lauren, you –"

Lauren put up a hand, stopping Bo. "Listen. I'm fine, okay? I'm feeling good, I'm healing, everything is fine. I have to go back to work sometime, and, well…if I go back tomorrow I'll just have to work one day before I have a weekend off. It'll give me a chance to catch up on some things, to see how things are going, and if I get worn out…well, again, I'll have all weekend."

Bo set her mug down on the counter. "Lauren…"

"I'm not going to overdo it. I'm not going to hurt myself. But I have to go back, and, well…it seems like as a good of a time as any."

Bo sighed deeply. "You need a _break_. You need to heal."

"I _have_ healed," Lauren defended. "I might not be completely one hundred percent yet, but I have to go back sometime. This is as good a time as any."

Bo regarded her quietly for a moment. "You aren't going to listen to me on this, no matter what I say, are you?"

"No," Lauren answered, honestly.

Bo nodded.

They were quiet for a few moments. After a bit, Bo cleared her throat and took a long sip of her coffee. When she put the mug back down, she commented, "I may have to work late tonight. My desk has gotten a little…piled up."

Lauren gave her a sideways glance. "Are you upset with me?"

Bo couldn't stop the small smile that came to her face. "Would it matter if I was?"

Lauren took a step closer to Bo and kissed her again. "Of course it would. I mean, I'd still go to work tomorrow…"

"Of course you would," Bo huffed with a smile.

"…but I'd care. It would matter to me."

Bo nodded, accepting the answer, and kissed Lauren again. "No, I'm not upset with you. I disagree with you, but I'm not upset with you. I just have a lot on my desk, that's all."

A moment of understanding broke over Lauren, and she nodded. "Right, because you've…been out of the office a lot lately."

Bo shrugged. "No, it's not that, it's just how it goes sometimes. Work gets busy. You know how it is."

Lauren hummed in agreement, smiling. "Right. And taking a week off to sit in a hospital with your girlfriend didn't add to that at all."

Bo smiled, but kept up her pretense. "Not at all."

"And taking an impromptu afternoon off yesterday –"

Bo put a finger over Lauren's lips, stopping her. "You aren't the reason I'm behind." When Lauren nodded, Bo moved her finger and stepped in to Lauren for another quick kiss. When she stepped back, she sighed. "Alright, look, if you _insist_ on working tomorrow –"

"I do."

"—please at least promise you'll take it easy today. Alright?"

Lauren nodded. "Alright."

* * *

"So, tell me again, what are you going to do if you get nervous?" Bo asked, doing her best to keep her voice light as she spoke to the young child in front of her.

"I'm going to ask for a break," the girl replied, calmly.

Bo smiled. "That's right, good."

The child nodded, turning her attention back to the legal pad she was drawing on. Bo turned to her secretary, who shrugged at Bo slightly.

"Is everything okay, Kylie?" Bo inquired.

The child didn't look up. "Yeah," she answered without inflection.

"Because, you know, if you're nervous or you want to talk about something, you can talk to me."

"Uh huh."

Bo sat quietly for a moment, trying to think of something else to say, but nothing came to mind. The child continued to draw.

A few moments later, the girl looked up. "Is my mom here? Can I go now?"

Bo held back a sigh. "Yeah, absolutely, she's just in the other room."

"Okay," the child said, standing up. "Thank you for the paper."

Bo nodded, tearing the sheet off and passing it to the child.

The girl shook her head no. "It's for you," she told Bo with a smile. Bo glanced down at the drawing, seeing three figures. "This is you, and me, and Ms. Helen," the child said, indicating to Bo's secretary.

Bo nodded and smiled. "I can see that. I'm going to hang this up right over here, okay?" she commented, using a push pin to put the drawing on her cork board.

The child nodded in satisfaction, walking out of Bo's office to go back to her mother.

After bidding the woman and her daughter goodbye, Bo turned to her secretary. "Alright, was it just me?"

Helen shook her head no. "Someone got to the kid," she commented.

Bo nodded. "I mean, she gave me _nothing_."

Helen sighed. "Yeah. I mean…I don't know, maybe she was nervous?"

"She didn't seem nervous."

"Well, I guess we'll find out on Monday," Helen noted.

"Yeah, let's hope for the best, I guess."

After Helen left the room, Bo turned her attention back to the file on her desk and sighed. The conversation with Kylie was setting alarm bells off in her head. She hadn't recanted any of her statements – that, at least, was a good sign – but she had seemed off, different. And with trial approaching on Monday, Bo was concerned.

Kylie was a six year old child who had been sexually abused by her biological father. That alone was enough to make the case difficult. Add to that the fact that her biological mother was an addict who had deemed it a good idea to let Kylie live with him in the first place, despite the fact that he was a registered sex offender, and it was a recipe for disaster.

Bo continued to sift through the file, organizing the evidence, deciding on the order she was going to call her witnesses, and prepping questions for them. Time ticked by as Bo got more and more lost in her work. She became immune to the ringing of the phone and the beeping of the door as people came and went from the office.

"Hey, Bo, are you leaving?"

Helen's voice at her door startled her slightly and she looked up. "Hmm?"

Helen smiled. "It's 5:30. Are you leaving?"

Bo glanced at the clock on her computer, double checking the time. Fuck, it really was 5:30. "Yeah, um, yeah, I just need to finish a few more things."

Helen nodded. "Don't stay too late, yeah?"

Bo smiled as Helen left. How had that much time passed that quickly? She sighed, scrubbing her hands over her face. Alright, it was 5:30. She knew she needed to go soon – it was getting late, and she needed to check on Lauren…fuck, Lauren, she hadn't texted Lauren all day.

With another deep sigh she rolled her head on her shoulders. Alright, ten more minutes. Ten more minutes of prep and she would leave.

* * *

Bo pulled up in front of Lauren's apartment at 7:05p. As she walked inside she was immediately greeted by the smell of Lauren's cooking, which caused her stomach to growl as she realized she'd forgotten to eat anything all day.

She put her files on the counter and glanced around the room, noting that the entire house appeared to be spotless. She sighed, wondering momentarily where Lauren was, until the sound of soft snoring on the couch caught her attention.

She crossed the room and found Lauren, completely passed out on the couch. She felt herself grow slightly irritated; based on the smell of dinner and the cleanliness of the house, Lauren had definitely _not_ taken it easy. In fact, she appeared to have completely exhausted herself.

Bo sighed, reaching for the blanket draped over the arm of the couch, and spread it out over Lauren's sleeping form before walking to the kitchen to make sure nothing was about to catch on fire. She glanced at the various pots and shrugged – she didn't exactly know what she was looking for, after all. In her best estimation, everything looked fine. With a sigh, she turned to the counter and grabbed her stack of files, settling herself down on a stool at the bar top to do some more work. She could check the food again in a bit if Lauren didn't wake up.

* * *

Lauren woke up to the acrid smell of something burning. She jerked awake as her brain immediately registered "dinner." She jumped up and winced, a sudden tightness appearing in her abdomen. She took a deep steadying breath. She needed to be more careful – yes, she was healing, but she wasn't done quite yet.

Once she had her bearings, she moved toward the kitchen and her eyes landed on Bo, files strewn around her, asleep with her head on the counter. Lauren turned everything off and noticed the time – 7:55p – and couldn't help the bubble of irritation that came up her chest. Seriously? She knew Bo was exactly a chef, but she couldn't have at least turned everything off?

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. She shouldn't blame this on Bo. The truth was she was sore and tired, and she knew that was her fault. She'd tried to do too much. She glanced at Bo's sleeping form again. No way in Hell she was going to admit to Bo that she'd overdone it.

A last survey of dinner confirmed that it was beyond saving. She glanced in the fridge, noting that there weren't many options. Maybe they could just order Chinese…

She was contemplating getting the phone and putting an order in when she heard Bo moving, the papers from her files rustling as she did so. "Hey, baby," she said, softly.

Bo rubbed her face. "Hey. What time is it?"

Lauren's heart swelled with concern. Bo looked exhausted, beaten. Lauren walked over to her, ignoring the protests of her stiff muscles as she did so, and ran her hand through Bo's hair. "Almost 8."

Bo nodded and cleared her throat. "How are you feeling?"

Lauren ran her thumb over Bo's ear and leaned toward her, giving her a kiss. It wasn't intended to be a particularly assertive kiss, but after a moment Lauren found Bo's hand woven through her hair and felt Bo's tongue against her own. She shivered slightly, her own fingers curling around Bo's jaw. Her head was swimming, swirling, and God, they had been together for how long now? How did Bo still affect her this way?

When they separated Lauren's eyes opened slowly to see Bo with her eyes still closed, lightly licking her lips. At the sight of the simple action, Lauren felt her heart hammer in her chest. She gently pushed a strand of hair behind Bo's ear. "Dinner's burned," she commented, quietly.

Bo didn't answer. A moment later she stood up, pushing her files back slightly so they wouldn't fall off the counter, and pulled Lauren back against her, kissing her again. Lauren was adrift, the burnt smell of dinner fading away and she sunk against Bo.

"You didn't take it easy today," Bo whispered, her voice low, when they broke the kiss.

"Hmm?" Lauren hummed, her thoughts centered only on the feeling of Bo's hands on her hips, the smell of Bo in her arms, the taste of Bo on her tongue.

"I asked you to relax today," Bo murmured, her face moving forward to lightly kiss Lauren's jaw. "You didn't."

"I'm fine. I was fine," Lauren mumbled back, her eyes falling closed at the feeling of Bo kissing up her jawline toward her ear.

"You did too much."

Lauren dropped her head slightly forward, bringing her closer to Bo's neck. She exhaled slightly and saw goosebumps rise on Bo's skin as she moved forward. "Why didn't you turn off the stove when you got here?" she inquired, her lips lightly dragging against Bo's skin. "Everything is burned."

Bo shuddered, and swallowed slowly, trying to gather herself. "Are we fighting?" she asked.

"Mmhmm," Lauren confirmed, her lips firmly attached to Bo's pulse point.

"Okay," Bo breathed back, her voice low and husky, as she used her hand to guide Lauren's lips back to her own.

Lauren deepened the kiss almost immediately, her hands fisted in the hair at the base of Bo's neck. Bo felt Lauren leaning into her harder, pressing their bodies together, and her hands found their way to Lauren's waist, her fingers slipping up under Lauren's shirt. She felt Lauren falter as her fingers raked against Lauren's ribs until Bo's fingers made contact with the raised ridge of a scar on Lauren's abdomen.

She gently ran the pad of her thumb against the healing incision. "You have to stop pushing yourself," she murmured into Lauren's mouth.

Lauren hummed lightly in response, resealing her mouth against Bo's, her own hands dropping to the front of Bo's pants, purposefully working the belt from the buckle.

"Lauren…" Bo said, her voice lost somewhere between a warning and a plea.

"Maybe you should stop talking," Lauren answered, her voice low and harsh, her hand moving past the material at Bo's waist. Her mouth returned to Bo's neck, her tongue dragging lightly against the skin, as she undid the clasps of Bo's pants and slid the zipper down, being sure her knuckles pressed lightly against Bo, causing her to hiss in anticipation. Finally, Lauren dipped inside of Bo's underwear, finally coming to a stop, and slightly moaning when her middle finger was met with the wetness between Bo's thighs.

"God, Lauren…we really…we need to talk about…" Bo stuttered as Lauren's finger continued to move against her, lightly.

"I'm fine," Lauren growled against Bo's ear.

"No, you're –"

Lauren pushed her finger inside of Bo suddenly, curling it slightly, and Bo's mind blanked.

Bo mutter a quiet curse under her breath, trying to regain her bearings as Lauren pumped into her slowly, her finger curling inside of her at every pass. Almost without Bo realizing it, Lauren used her free hand to push Bo's pants and underwear completely off of her and to start walking them backwards toward the bedroom slowly.

With great effort, Bo forced her brain to focus. "You aren't fine. You need time to –"

"I've had time," Lauren answered, her voice coming quick and slightly sharp. "And I. Am. Fine," she growled, punctuating each word with a hard thrust.

Bo's breath escaped her as she bore down on Lauren's finger, her body betraying her mind which was agitated with Lauren's dismissal. "You almost _died_ ," Bo shot back, in between breaths, trying to steady herself, forcing herself to continue to fight, unwilling to back down.

With an irritated exhale, Lauren gave up her mission to get Bo to the bedroom and forcefully pushed Bo against the nearest living room wall, a second finger roughly pushing into Bo as she did so.

" _Fuuu…"_ Bo moaned, her head falling back against the wall, her brain fogging over anew.

"I'm not dead. I'm not dying. I'm right here. And I'm fine." With each sentence she pushed into Bo sharply, firmly, forcing the air from Bo's lungs as Bo felt her hips thrusting back of their own volition, seeking more contact with Lauren.

A moment later Bo seized on Lauren, grabbing the base of her head and kissing her aggressively, their tongues fighting, and Bo used one hand to roughly grab Lauren's breast as the other hand forced its way into Lauren's pants, past the waistband of her loose sweatpants, and three fingers forced their way into Lauren.

Lauren fingers stilled inside Bo as she released a strangled sound, her entire body tensing as her body contorted against Bo, groaning as she felt Bo's fingers sinking deeper and deeper into her.

"God…Bo…" she groaned, her body jerking slightly, her nerves on high alert as Bo began to thrust into her almost too slowly.

Bo turned them on the wall so Lauren was pressed against it, as she changed the pace and began to push into her harder and deeper, using the leverage of their new found position to aid her. Bo began to suck on Lauren's neck, the pressure of her mouth and tongue matching the pace of her fingers.

Lauren caught her breath and resumed her deep thrusts into Bo, matching Bo's pace – hard, deep, and steady. Lauren snaked her free hand around Bo's waist, helping to keep her upright as Bo slid her free hand under Lauren's shirt, playing with the hard nipple she found.

"Why aren't you naked?" Bo panted against Lauren's neck.

"Because… _shit_ …you wanted to…fight…"

Bo thrust into Lauren sharply and Lauren sucked a quick intake of breath, feeling pleasure shoot through her. "I'm right about this…you need to stay –" Bo stopped speaking suddenly, her mouth dropping open as Lauren firmly pressed her thumb against Bo's clit, working it in tight circles.

With a loud groan, Lauren took Bo's moment of falter to reverse their positions, slamming Bo's back against the wall. Bo's breath escaped her, the will to fight quickly leaving her body. "I think I'm exactly where I need to be," Lauren breathlessly hissed directly into Bo's ear, trying desperately to keep a steady pace against Bo as her own pleasure overtook her senses.

Bo whimpered, moving against Lauren, her body growing desperate for release. "Baby…please…"

Lauren pushed harder against Bo, a string of curses falling from her lips as she felt Bo match her pace. Soon words were lost to them entirely as they writhed against the wall, the anger and frustration they both felt pouring out of them as they forced one another higher and higher.

A short time later release broke over them both, making them cry out and cling onto each other as their muscles contracted wildly.

When they came back to themselves they found themselves resting on the floor, their remaining clothing hanging from them haphazardly. Bo turned to Lauren, and saw her shirt pushed up to her neck line, giving Bo an unobstructed view of the scar marring her abdomen.

Bo's eyes darkened as she looked at it. Lauren caught the direction of her gaze and sighed, trying to straighten out her shirt to cover the healing laceration across her skin.

"Bo…"

Bo seized Lauren's hands, stopping her from pushing down her shirt. She leaned forward and ran her tongue slowly across the scar, making Lauren shiver. She took her time, licking the raised skin.

"It's healing. It's fine, it's –"

Bo ran her tongue against Lauren's lower stomach causing Lauren to hesitate for a moment as the fire within her reignited quickly. When she stopped speaking, Bo looked up into Lauren's eyes. "I'm not done fighting," she noted, hooking her fingers into the waistband of Lauren's sweats, slowly dragging them off her body, before dropping her face back down, shifted herself between Lauren's open thighs.

* * *

Let me know what you think


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